Miss Penelope Ashford rejects marriage believing it would limit her ambition to make a difference in society. As director of the Foundling Home, she strives to improve the lives of orphans by giving them safe shelter and teaching them a trade. When four newly orphaned boys are snatched before they arrive at the Foundling Home, Penelope enlists the aid of Mr. Barnaby Adair, a gentleman who investigates crime. Penelope makes it clear from the start that she will be involved in the search.
Barnaby Adair, the third son of an earl, has found a career investigating crime among the high echelons of English society. He enjoys the challenge of sleuthing and solving difficult cases. It brings him in contact with various classes of people he wouldn't normally interact or socialize with, such as Scotland Yard's Inspector Stokes, whom he admires. Restless since the last case, Barnaby is jolted out of his doldrums when Miss Ashford arrives in the middle of the night asking for help in solving a kidnapping.
Penelope's determination and intelligence impress Barnaby. Working side-by-side, desire flares between them. As they search for the boys and try to expose the villains, Barnaby begins a seduction he hopes will end in marriage.
Ms. Lauren develops an interesting and absorbing plot involving a school for boy burglars and the men who run it. The odd mix of friends from different social spheres and their collaborations to find the guilty parties makes for an exciting and appealing romantic mystery.
New York Times bestselling author Stephanie
Laurens knows the world of Regency London . . . especially
the exclusive enclave of luxury in which the aristocracy
lived in wealth and comfort. But outside that glittering
circle lay another world . . . and Laurens pulls back the
curtain that has hidden it from usβuntil now.
Penelope Ashford, Portia Cynster's younger sister, has
grown up with every advantageβwealth, position, and
beauty. Yet Penelope is anything but a pretty face in a
satin gownβforceful, willful, and blunt to a fault, she
has for years devoted her considerable energy and
intelligence to caring for the forgotten orphans of
London's sooty and seamier streets.
But now her
charges are mysteriously disappearing. Desperate, Penelope
turns to the one man she knows who might help herβBarnaby
Adair.
Handsome scion of a noble house, Adair has
made a name for himself in certain circles where his
powers of observation and deduction have seen him solve
several serious and unsavory crimes within the ton. His
pedigree, relentless intelligence, and discretion make him
a deadly avenger in an elegant guise. Despite his skillsβ
or perhaps because of themβhe makes Penelope distinctly
uncomfortable, but the stakes are too grave. Throwing
caution to the wind, defying every rule for unmarried
ladies, she appears on his doorstep late one night
determined to recruit his talents.
Barnaby is
intriguedβboth by her problem and her. Her bold beauty and
undeniable brains make a striking contrast to the usual
insipid ton misses. And as he's in dire need of an excuse
to avoid said insipid misses, he accepts her challenge,
never dreaming she and it will consume his every waking
hour.
Enlisting the aid of Inspector Basil Stokes
of the fledgling Scotland Yard, they infiltrate the
streets of London's notorious East End. But as they
unravel the mystery of the missing orphans, they uncover a
trail leading to the upper echelons of society and a
ruthless and clever criminal adept at pulling strings who,
becoming aware of them and their efforts, is only too
ready to destroy all they hold dear, including their
newfound understanding of the intrigues of the human
heart.
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