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This is a pretty decent story, for a short story. Or, possibly, novella.

As the blurb says, this slight - 165 pages - book contains both "The Women of Nell Gwynne's", which I guess qualifies as a novella, and "The Bohemian Astrobleme", which is definitely a short story.

In the first story we meet Lady Beatrice, the eponymous Scarlet Spy, who is "ruined" and turns to prostitution to survive, and is soon picked up by the house of Nell Gwynn to turn her talents to larger purposes.

I generally don't like when rape is used as a plot device, as I feel it's overdone, by-and-large, but it does make some sense in the context of this story. Since Lady Beatrice came from a higher class family, which is one reason she is particularly suited to become a spy at the high class Nell Gwynne's, and it would have to either be "ruin" or financial disaster of some sort to lead her there. There is no angst in this book. She deals with it pragmatically and by disassociating - which is, in some ways, more disturbing, but it's never really dwelt on, which makes it more tropey than not.

Anyway -

Getting past that it's a fairly standard sort of spy story, complete with special gadgets made for the ladies to help in the endeavors - which is the only thing that makes it remotely steampunkish.

Like I said - decent for a set of short stories, but not a lot of depth, which I suspect is due to time constraints. Sort of enjoyable and pulpy, but nothing spectacular.