Out of the Rain

Out of the Rain / Elizabeth Cadell
Friendly Air Publishing, 2023, c1987.
266 p.

My library had another light Cadell book available on audio so I listened to it right after I finished the last one -- it was quite different, set in a much more recent year. This one feels 70s while the earlier ones felt a bit more 50s/60s somehow. 

Out of the Rain has a single mother, countryside entrepreneurs, and an inheritance scandal to drive the plot. The main character is lawyer Edward Netherford, who lives alone in a service flat and likes his routine. He has 3 obnoxious clients, however, the Brockton siblings, who ask him to retrieve valuable paintings from their late father's second wife which really belong to them. He heads to the country to stay with an old friend and track this second wife down. 

When he arrives one late night, his friend's inn is on fire, and he's sent out to a house that was registered on the local b&b list as all other spots are taken by current displaced guests. This ends up being the heart of the book - neat freak Edward is taken in by the widowed Estelle, her mother, grandfather and three little boys. His mannered city ways are contrasted with Estelle's earthy country views and as always in Cadell's books, the domestic, countrified, traditional way of life is Obviously Much Better. 

There is a bit of a theme going with the Brocktons and mismatched marriages which turn out happily. Edward has to come and go in pursuit of the paintings, and each time stays with Estelle's family and settles in to the general chaos. Somehow he's a natural with fixing things around their house for them, and being a favourite of the three very small children. We can all see where this is going. 

This was a frothy read, mostly forgettable in the end. Not much romance, just quiet hours with Edward adjusting to a view of life so different to his own. There are a few minor subplots, and the Brockton second wife turns out to be an important element in the story (she's a sensible countrywoman who had been the housekeeper). This was okay but the very dated gender roles and hammering home of the idea that lazy country days and a woman's life being subsumed in her children was an ideal state of being didn't really resonate for me at all. I didn't dislike it but don't think I'll search out any more Cadell any time soon. A little bit is enough for now.