Surprise!

What did women do in 1900 when they ran away from their husbands but had no parents to return to? Ellen Cooney explores one possibility in her 2005 novel A Private Hotel for Gentle Ladies.

Charlotte has been a submissive wife to Hays, her successful but often absent husband. She has been confined to bed for a long time with an undiagnosed ailment, sometimes described as a "brain disease," but one day she feels well enough to take out a carriage to surprise her husband. Both are surprised, however, when she catches him kissing another woman in a park. Instead of stopping and confronting Hays or returning to their house, she rides on in her carriage, ending up in Boston. 

She remembers that Mrs. Petty, her former cook, now works at The Beechmont Hotel in Boston, so she goes there to find her and seek help. The hotel turns out to be an exclusive residence for women of means, but Charlotte is puzzled by all the young men she finds there.

Meanwhile Hays pursues Charlotte, and she discovers Dickie Lang, an old school friend now a Boston police officer, lurking outside the building. Is he looking for her or does he have some other interest in The Beechmont Hotel?

When this passive woman suddenly takes charge of her life and the men around her, it may not be entirely believable. Yet most readers will enjoy it.