The Dolly Dialogues was first published in 1894, the same year as Hope's The Prisoner of Zenda. At once witty and wistful, it gives a wry glimpse of late-Victorian 'smart' society. After a brief flirtation in Monte Carlo, confirmed bachelor Sam Carter and vivacious beauty Dorothea 'Dolly' Foster resume their charged friendship in London. When Dolly marries the wealthy Lord Mickleham, Sam attempts to feign indifference. But as they meet at parties, in drawing-rooms and in public parks, Sam's studied cynicism and Dolly's dimpled coquetry fail to disguise the true depth of their feelings...