Elizabeth Cadell

Elizabeth Cadell was a British novelist whose long career joined romantic comedy, family complications, and occasional mystery. Round Dozen, published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1978, follows wealthy bachelor William Helder as he searches for a missing silver flagon needed to complete a treasured family set. The hunt draws in capable secretary Hazel Paget, eccentric relatives, village gossip, and a relationship that develops alongside the puzzle. Cadell’s light touch depends on social observation rather than spectacle: possessions expose old loyalties, family stories prove unreliable, and practical Hazel brings order to William’s increasingly complicated pursuit. The book belongs to Cadell’s later period, between Parson’s House and Family Gathering, and reflects her recurring interest in English households disrupted by an outsider or unexpected inheritance. This self-contained novel lets its romance grow through shared problem-solving. Cadell makes the missing object more than a prize, using it to test what her characters value and how readily they can revise a settled view of one another.