9 h 32 minAudiobook13 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
On England’s country roads, a motor car promises freedom—but class still tells the heart where it may go.
In Cynthia’s Chauffeur, Louis Tracy brings romance to the open English countryside. Cynthia stands at the center of a story of disguise, social difference and unexpected love. Motor cars bring speed and a little danger, while the rules of Edwardian society put limits on personal choice.
Birth, income and occupation decide where people belong. A young woman of good family is expected to marry within her own circle, leaving little room for feelings that cross those boundaries. Tracy turns this tension into a light, warm romance, with brisk plotting and clear storytelling that keep the pages moving.
What you’ll discover
- Love across class lines Feel the pull between honest affection and a society that expects people to know their place.
- The thrill of motoring Enter a world where a car means speed, money and a little danger on the road.
- Cynthia at the center Follow Cynthia into a romance shaped by disguise, social barriers and the possibility of unexpected love.
- Open English country roads Let the countryside draw you into a warm story beyond the limits of polite society.
- A lively, gentle escape Enjoy clear storytelling and a quick pace without the weight of deep psychological drama.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy a light, quick romance of mistaken identity, motoring adventure, and picture-book English scenery, and anyone who likes a spirited American heroine matched against old English manners.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A borrowed uniform on Derby Day
- A chauffeur with a very odd luncheon
- Brighton by night and a plot overheard
- Old friends, old towns, and a growing risk
- The trap on the Mendips
- Bristol, a dismissed rogue, and a furious father
- Moonlight on the Wye and a telephone call
- What the story is really about
- How Tracy tells it
Who’s who
- Viscount MedenhamAn earl's heir and seasoned adventurer who poses as the chauffeur George Augustus Fitzroy and falls in love with the girl he drives.
- Cynthia VanrenenA quick, candid American heiress who studies guidebooks and maps, speaks her mind, and slowly suspects that her driver is not what he seems.
- Mrs. DevarA scheming, social-climbing widow hired as Cynthia's chaperone, who is eager for money and connections and blind to what is in front of her.
- Count Edouard MarignyA charming, penniless French nobleman who needs a rich wife and sets out to win Cynthia by tricks and timing.
- Captain Jimmy DevarMrs. Devar's son, a dismissed army officer and sponger who works with the Count and hopes to share the gains.
- DaleMedenham's loyal, beer-loving chauffeur and mechanic, devoted to the Mercury, to horse racing, and to his master.
- Peter VanrenenCynthia's rich, calm father, a financier who adores his daughter and will do anything to protect her.
- Earl of FairholmeMedenham's proud, hot-tempered father, who clings to rank and blood and takes the worst of what he is told.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 9 h 32 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 13 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Le chauffeur de Cynthia
by Louis Tracy · 1910
A viscount poses as a chauffeur to drive an American heiress across England while a scheming Frenchman closes in.
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In short
Cynthia's Chauffeur is an Edwardian romance by Louis Tracy, an English novelist and journalist who died in 1928. It begins on Derby Day and follows a motor tour through the south and west of England.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A borrowed uniform on Derby Day
The story opens on Derby Day in London, with the whole city asking the same question about who will win. Young Lord Medenham sets off in his Mercury motorcar with his chauffeur Dale, meaning to collect his aunt, Lady St. Maur, for the races. She is in bed with her yearly stomach complaint, blamed on hothouse strawberries, so the picnic basket has no one to eat it.
Medenham decides to go to Epsom anyway, and takes the wheel himself. In Down Street he finds a car pulled up at the curb and its driver in despair. The man is Simmonds, who served under him in the Boer War, and a railway van has just snapped his transmission shaft.
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What is Cynthia's Chauffeur about?
It follows Viscount Medenham, who poses as a chauffeur called Fitzroy to drive an American heiress, Cynthia Vanrenen, and her chaperone across England, and who discovers that a French count and others are plotting to win her fortune.
Who is Fitzroy in Cynthia's Chauffeur?
Fitzroy is the name Viscount Medenham, the son of the Earl of Fairholme, uses while he hides his title. He gives the name George Augustus Fitzroy when he steps in for the driver Simmonds, and he keeps it for most of the tour.
When was Cynthia's Chauffeur written and is it a true story?
It is a work of fiction by Louis Tracy, set in the Edwardian years soon after the Boer War. The people are invented, but the towns, roads, castles and inns they visit are real English places.
The author
Louis Tracy
1863–1928 · British novelist
Louis Tracy was a British writer who lived from 1863 to 1928. He was born in Liverpool, England, and wrote novels, including mysteries and romances. His books included The Albert Gate Mystery, published in 1904, The Silent Barrier, published in 1910, and One Wonderful Night, published in 1912.
More by Louis Tracy
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