For many long years, Prudence Merridew and her four sisters
have lived with the beatings their grandfather inflicted.
But now that he's taken to his sick bed, she discovers a
way out. Upon her 21st birthday, she'll be able to be the
guardian of her sisters. And if she sells her mother's
jewelry, they should have a little money to live on until
they can find husbands, at which time each daughter
receives a monetary inheritance. After forging a letter
from their grandfather to his brother Oswald, they flee to
London in hopes of not being discovered until either
Prudence turns 21 or husbands are obtained. Not having
heard from her betrothed, Phillip, in quite some time,
Prudence decides she has no other choice.
When Great-uncle Oswald refuses to let the younger girls
come out until Prudence is wed, she claims she's already
betrothed. Unable to say who her real betrothed is because
Phillip made her swear she'd keep it a secret, Prudence
mentions the name she heard at a party the night before,
The Duke of Dinstable, who's become a hermit in his home
near Scotland. Prudence soon has to do damage control when
she reads the duke is actually in London looking for a
wife.
Gideon, Lord Carradiace, is a known rake who doesn't take
life seriously. When charming Prudence arrives at his door
and begs him to go along with her ruse, he doesn't correct
her that he's cousin to the duke and not the duke himself,
and plays the game until the real duke shows up ruining
everything. No way is Gideon ever getting married, being a
rake suits him just fine, until Prudence storms into his
life. After showing up at her uncle's home, Gideon
unknowingly lets Great-uncle Oswald believe he's honorably
seeking Prudence's hand, agreeing to let him believe the
farce until her sisters get their coming out and find
husbands.
When disaster strikes and the girls receive a letter that
their grandfather has found out their location, the girls
rally together to flee. Gideon promises to aid them and
takes them to his aunt's in Bath, but he's amazed when he
realizes he actually wants Prudence to be his wife.
Prudence has known for some time that Phillip is not the
man for her and gets her chance to tell him when she
discovers he's also in Bath. He appears to be angry and
makes her promise not to appear in public for seven days.
When Gideon's aunt suggests they go to a small dinner
party, Prudence doesn't consider it a public outing and
Gideon has the privilege to finally meet the coward who
deserted Prudence in her time of need. Prudence gets a few
surprises of her own.
THE PERFECT RAKE is jam-packed with adventure and romance
and, for me, humor. The girls absolutely love each other
and would do anything for each other. The relationship
between Gideon and Prudence is serious, but some of the
things they say and do absolutely cracked me up. I had a
really good time reading this story and I'm sure you will
too.
To escape her brutal grandfather, Prudence stages a plan
involving a phony engagement--and the man she approaches is
so taken with Pru that he willingly joins her game.
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