The four daughters of a horse-mad Scottish viscount arrive
at their guardian's home with four beautiful thoroughbred
horses to be used as their dowries. Tess, the oldest,
immediately warms to the slightly shabby and dissipated
duke. Tired of worrying about the lack of money and her
younger sister's inappropriate romance, Tess embraces the
brotherly affection Rafe offers. Rafe agrees with Tess that
marriage is her best option. Luckily, Rafe's friend, the
Earl of Mayne, offers a marriage based on their short
acquaintance, after all Tess' dowry is Something Wanton, a
possible Derby winner. Tess tamps down her attraction to
Rafe's other friend and accepts the earl's proposal.
Mr. Lucius Fenton drops into his friend's home, prepared
for his usual visit of horse races and good brandy.
Encountering four nubile young women at Rafe's home, Lucius
prepares to flee. He does not want a wife, and Rafe will
need to foist these women upon anyone, especially his
friends. Upon meeting Tess, who's a beauty with a hussy's
mouth, Lucius feels his blood chill and then turn to ice as
he meets the others -- the witty and seductive Annabelle;
the passionate Imogene, who looks like a saint; and the
least threatening, Josie, a plump and logical girl. At
Rafe's plea, Lucius stays, feeling an impending doom
descend upon him.
At the home of a drunk, whose close friends consist of a
titled lecher and a plain sir who's a merchant, Tess snares
the lecher. Confusion rules Tess and she does not feel
triumphant. It takes a sister's unwise decision to force
Tess to confront her choice for the future.
MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU is a thoroughly riveting tale that
explores the interplay between sisters. It's an engaging
journey into their lives as they come together and then
tear apart. Ms. James serves up laughter and tears as she
writes an eloquent and beautiful romance.
Teresa Essex has a unique lot in life. Actually…she’d
rather prefer that lots were not mentioned. She knows far
too much about playing the odds: her widowed father gambled
away any spare penny owned by their family. Shillings that
should have been spent on gowns and governesses for Tess
and her three younger sisters were spent keeping her
father’s horses in proper condition for the race track.
When their father dies, the sisters become the wards of the
Duke of Holbrook who knows far more about brandy snifters
than children. But Tess’s challenges have just begun. With
nothing more than a horse each for a dowry, and a drunken
duke as a chaperone, she and her sisters must achieve
respectable marriages.
In the manner of romantic heroines from the time of Jane
Austen, Tess must make a decision whether to marry for
financial, prudent reasons, or to follow her heart. But
unlike those tales in which heroines prudently make the
correct decision, whatever that might be, here fate steps
in and Tess must learn a hard lesson: not how to play at
love, but how to play at that most serious of pursuits…
Marriage.
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