A Cathedral Courtship by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

Kate Douglas Wiggin's A Cathedral Courtship is a sparkling romantic comedy of manners, travel, and transatlantic wit, following the cathedral tour of quick-minded American Kitty Schuyler and her formidable Boston aunt, Celia Van Tyck. Kitty's first-person letters and Jack Copley's parallel account turn English church towns, railway mishaps, guidebooks, and architectural wonders into the backdrop for a lively courtship full of comic misunderstandings, social satire, and mutual fascination. From Winchester and Salisbury to Wells, Bath, Bristol, Gloucester, Oxford, York, Durham, and Canterbury, the pair repeatedly cross paths amid lost shoes, train confusion, scholarly discussions, and Aunt Celia's ironclad propriety. As Kitty learns architecture, Emerson, and the art of travel, Jack—an architect and devoted admirer—tries to balance reverence, restraint, and pursuit, even as his sketchbook fills with her likeness instead of cathedrals. Their romance deepens through witty banter, accidental confessions, and a memorable "bull" scare that sends Kitty into his arms. Warm, affectionate, and sharply observed, the novel blends romance, intellectual play, and gentle satire into a charming portrait of love discovered in the shadow of ancient cathedrals. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.