The Deal: In 1866, Susanna and her brother are living in Poughkeepsie with an aunt who runs a boarding house for Vassar students. Waiting on privileged Yankee princesses is not ideal but Susanna is happy to have a roof over her head. And when one of the boarders, Charlotte, receives a most unromantic letter from a suitor, and asks Susanna for help rebuffing the sender, Susanna decides to help her.
It was only supposed to be one letter, but soon Susanna finds herself in a sort of pen-pan relationship with Mr. Ted Blakely, and they start to fall in love. He tells her about his travels and his dreams, and she encourages him. The only problem is that he thinks he's corresponding with Charlotte. And when Susanna gets one chance to meet Teddy in person - at a Masquerade ball - she can't resist.
My Thoughts: What a sweet novella A Waltz at Midnight turned out to be! It's one part cinderella, one part mistake identity plot and so sweet. I loved reading the letters between Susanna and Teddy and how they start to get to know each other.
The story is short and sweet - it took me about an hour or two to read the whole thing- and with a touch of Christmasy, but not too much.
2/3
