Prince Charlie

William Masters makes his living crafting fairy tales for children, but real life proves more bewildering than anything he's ever invented. On a quiet afternoon in the seaside town of Wivernsea, he encounters Miss Mivvins, a governess with a mischievous charge named Gracie, and finds himself utterly disarmed. What begins as an innocent encounter on a park bench becomes a tender comedy of hesitation and misunderstanding, as two adults fumble toward connection while Gracie asks questions only a child can ask. Delannoy writes with a light, wry touch, finding humor in the small agonies of attraction and the elaborate stories we tell ourselves about what we ought to feel. It's a small, perfectly formed romance: the kind of book where nothing terrible happens, but everything matters.