A Dangerous Magic — Frances Lynch

When young orphan Bridie Tantallon is sent from turn-of-the-century London to Edinburgh to help her great-aunt Lady Otranta complete her memoirs, she does not expect to meet serious obstacles. So she is not deterred by her aunt's pretended dipsomania, the various half-hearted attempts made on her life, or even her growing love for Lady Otranta's long-suffering heir, Andrew. Otranta's memoirs, detailing her rise from a music hall magician's assistant to a confidante of Queen Victoria, are interwoven with the more recent tale of Bridie's adventures.