Lady Anna - by A. Trollope

Ah, Lady Anna.  I'm not sure how I can summarize the plot in a short yet easy-to-understand way, but here goes.  Anna's mother married an Earl, which would make her a Countess (and she is referred to in the book as the Countess).  But he then told her their wedding was not valid, because he was already married to someone else.  Then, he left her and Anna.  So the Countess spends her life trying to prove that their marriage had been valid and that Anna was the legitimate daughter of the Earl (which would make her Lady Anna).  The only people who believe and help the Countess are a tailor and his son, Daniel.  Daniel and Anna basically end up growing up together. 

When the Earl dies, the Countess is involved in a lawsuit to determine who will get the inheritance.  If the Countess proves that her marriage is valid, she and Anna get the inheritance and their titles.  If the alleged first wife steps forward and proves her marriage, then she gets the inheritance.  But the Earl's family is also fighting for the inheritance, saying that the young man who is next in line for the title of Earl should be the one to inherit the money.  So the lawsuit is a bit complicated.  One of the lawyers suggests that one way to make things work out for everyone would be if Anna and the young man (Frederic) got married.  This is approved by Frederic's family and by the Countess, so Frederic and Anna meet.  They end up liking each other very much, but there's one problem: Anna has recently become secretly engaged to Daniel.  No one, not even the Countess, knows about the engagement. 

The book is about the inheritance, who gets the money, and whether the Countess and Lady Anna are entitled to their titles (ha!).  It is also about who Anna will choose: Frederic or Daniel. 

I love Trollope, but I had trouble connecting with the characters in this book.  I didn't really feel the chemistry between Anna and the one she ends up marrying.  That said, I loved reading this book.  Once I started, I didn't want to stop.  That's a credit to Trollope as a writer - even though I didn't identify much with the characters, the story and the writing were enough to make me enjoy this book.