I love the world that she depicts so visually in her writing. There is nothing racy or suggestive in the telling, but underneath passion bubbles and emotions run high. In a society where deliciously dated words like decorum, modesty and propriety reign, her books open a window on what it must have been like to live in an era with so many constraints. Women had no other mission or path in life but to marry well, and that meant bagging a landed guy with good acreage, a city house and a sizeable fortune. If you had older sisters, your choices were obviously stacked against you.

Her proclamation that “a large income is the best recipe for happiness” is a recurring theme it her books. So too is the he-loves-me, he-loves-me-not element. These are all peppered with unspoken misunderstandings to keep her readers guessing.

Muriel’s latest novel, Family Business, (Hachette Ireland) is out now