After being informed he has only a few months to live due
to a fatal illness, Stephen Kenyon decides to escape his
obligations as the Duke of Ashburton and really experience
life in the little time he has left. When he saves a boy
from drowning, the grateful family takes him in, thinking
he is "Mr. Ashe" after a miscommunication. The Fitzgerald
clan is a traveling theater troupe, headed by Thomas and
Julia, with their three children: Brian, the near-drowning
victim, and two older girls: Julia and Rosalind. Rosalind
was adopted by the tender-hearted couple when they found
her roaming the streets of London as a three-year-old
orphan. A widow now after a brief, unhappy marriage,
Rosalind is content to roam with the family, playing small
parts and helping with the productions. But she is
immediately attracted to the handsome, brave stranger.
Even upon learning of Stephen's condition, Rosalind agrees
to marry him after the two share a short but intense
courtship. She is possibly more surprised to learn that she
is now a duchess after the wedding vows. Determined to make
the most of their limited time together, the newlyweds take
a leisurely honeymoon trip to London, marred only by the
increasing symptoms of Stephen's illness. In the city,
Stephen introduces his actress wife to his aristocratic
family -- which doesn't go too well -- but also helps her
discover her past, since he knows he cannot give her a
future.
I loved going along on Stephen's journey and meeting the
delightful Fitzgerald family. Rosalind is a true heroine,
entering a relationship she knows will end in tragedy, but
wanting to seize happiness while she can. Stephen's choice
to experience life as fully as he can is admirable, and
despite the grim premise, there's a lot of lightness and
romance in this story. Of course, things aren't always as
they seem, so I don't think I'm spoiling the ending by
telling you that Stephen is still alive at the end of the
book.
Stephen Kenyon, the new Duke of Ashburton, has always known
exactly what society expected of him. But a doctor's grim
diagnosis leaves him longing to experience life as never
before. Traveling incognito, he becomes entangled with a
wandering theater family and their spirited adopted
daughter, Rosalind Jordan. With no time to waste in
courtship, Stephen convinces Rosalind to marry him - an
arrangement that has advantages for both. The warm
companionship and profound passion they share is more than
Stephen expected, and far more than his family and his own
guarded nature ever allowed. But each passing, perfect day
together is a bittersweet reminder that love is the one
thing he is not at liberty to offer, and the one thing she
can never admit...
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