After walking home with her sister-in-law and daughter, the
lovely Hannah Preston's thoughts are filled with sorrow and
the lack of options for her future. With the recent death
of her beloved husband, Stephen, she lost not only her
future with this gentle, caring man, but also the vicarage
in Middleborough as well.
Suddenly, a gentleman looking for help interrupts her
thoughts. They had been racing their carriages and Lord
David Reece was badly injured. She helps to bring him to
her cottage and starts to care for him when the doctor
informs them he can't be moved. Despite his normally
frivolous nature, David grows to like Hannah and her
industrious way as well as her charming Molly and wants to
help them. He offers marriage as the only solution, so
she won't have to move back in with her father and his
overcrowded household. Being realistic, Hannah accepts.
David means well, but when his old friend, Percey, comes
calling, he realizes he misses his life of "wine, women and
song" and comes up with an ingenious idea to still help
Hannah. He signs his brother's name to the registrar and
leaves her to deal with him in London!
The uptight Duke of Exeter, Marcus Charles Fritzwilliam
Reece, is a stickler for doing the right thing and, after
the death of their father, has become accustomed to picking
up the
pieces after his brother's fiascos, but this time David had
gone too
far, indeed! He would get rid of this little trollop as
soon as possible and none would be the wiser. But, when
his mother and beloved sister Celia latch onto Hannah and
Molly and the notice of their "wedding" gets posted in the
Times, he determines a "marriage of convenience" would
better serve his purposes.
Faced with no money and the aggravation of her father,
Hannah reluctantly consents to the Duke's new plan, but
only if certain conditions are met. While Hannah
appreciates the luxuriousness of her new lifestyle and the
satins and the pearls, she knows she has to follow her
heart. They each make their own plans for the future, but
the action of a band of thieves changes everything and puts
their lives in peril. Will a dropped pearl be the key to a
new life?
Caroline Linden has written a well-researched book, filled
with racy happenings and lots of amusing repartee. This
plot has intriguing twists and the focus on banknote
counterfeiting and how money gets circulated amongst the
classes during the regency period was fascinating. I also
appreciated the strong character development of both the
main and secondary characters and insights into their
motivations. A genuine delightful read!
Marcus Reece, duke of Exeter, doesn't need a wife,
especially not a country vicar's widow who doesn't
hesitate to speak her mind. Hannah Preston does need a
husband, but certainly not an arrogant, autocratic,
infuriating one like the duke of Exeter. But in each
other, they're about to discover everything they never
knew they always wanted…
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