Living a quiet life with her grandparents in the country,
Phillipa Carstair falls for a young gentleman who is
visiting her grandfather. After a whirlwind courtship, she
accepts his proposal and begins planning her wedding.
Unexpectedly her fiancé departs on business and never
returns. It leaves Phillipa neither a widow nor a jilted
woman. She wants the uncertainty addressed and the reasons
for his fleeing. Her grandfather recommends Lord Montrose,
who has success locating people. When she meets him,
Phillipa sees a bored popinjay.
Maxwell, Lord Montrose, takes on many guises as he gathers
information for the crown. His title prevents him from
battle and Maxwell feels restless being on the sidelines.
Finding a runaway fiancé does not interest him, except
Phillipa does appeal to him. After witnessing his father's
disastrous luck with wives, Maxwell has no intention of
marrying until he is much older and wiser.
Phillipa and her slightly dotty grandmother join the search
and travel from Brighton to Paris. Phillipa returns
Maxwell's interest, but before she can start anew, she
needs to confront her missing fiancé and end it with him.
Complications arise when her grandmother's increasing
bizarre behavior puts them in danger in Paris as peace
crumbles between England and France.
It was extremely difficult reading Ms. Layton's final book.
Memories of her previous books from Signet Regency to her
longer historicals invade my thoughts and all the pleasure
I received reading them. Ms. Layton knew the time period
and her characters always caught readers' imagination. She
was a fine storyteller and will be greatly missed.
Phillipa Carstairs is absolutely
lovely—so everyone has said since the hour she entered the
world. Any gentleman would thrill to make her his bride, yet
Pippa is all alone, waiting for a fiance who disappeared
many months ago. She's long forgotten why she loved him, and
she's nearly given up hope.
A man of action
At first glance, Maxwell, Lord Montrose, is nothing but
a dandy—albeit a well-chiseled, irresistibly handsome one!
But his foppish demeanor hides a keen mind and a steely
resolve. A spy for the Crown who knows absolutely everyone,
he's the only one who can help Pippa find her missing
fiancÉ.
An irresistible desire
Crossing
England on the trail of the elusive husband-to-be, Maxwell
and Pippa have the best of intentions. But a simmering
attraction builds in close quarters . . . with a sinful
passion that will be impossible to deny.