It wasn't really any of her business Verity didn't approve of her married girlfriend Gussie's affair with Captain Benedict Dysart, but she wasn't personally involved. All she had to do was sell Gussie's Cotswold cottage and try to keep out of the lovers' way. It was all rather sordid, she thought. What kind of man would play around with another man's wife? Then, surprisingly, she discovered Ben wasn't quite the cad she'd imagined after all....
Severity reflects intensity, not value — “central theme” means a warning is a core part of the book, not that the book is bad.