The Courtyard (by Marcia Willett)

'The Courtyard' is a light modern novel by Marcia Willett.  I have been enjoying her books very much since I discovered her.  They are gentle family or character-based novels, exactly the kind of thing I like.

Gussie and Nell are the two main characters in this story.  They make friends unexpectedly in a tea-shop. Their lives are fated to intertwine from then on.

Gussie's young cousin Henry has converted his stable block into cottages, and they are amongst the first residents. Romances develop and friendships grow. The reader is caught up in the hopes and fears of the people as they face the recession.

The writing is good, the pace just right, and there's a satisfactory conclusion. 

Recommended.

(I wrote a longer review of 'The Courtyard' on re-reading eight years later)