Winnefred Blythe is the daughter of a horse-mad vicar. When
the vicar died, he asked the man nearest him to look after
his daughter. The Marquess of Engsley agreed, turning over
responsibility to his young wife. Winnefred is sent to live
on a farm with a small stipend.
The new Marquess of Engsley is straightening out the
finances after his father's death and learns about his ward.
His stepmother had been bilking the estate for years by
claiming donations to nonexistent charities and taking much
of the money for the dependents of the Marquess. Since he
is in Italy, he sends his younger brother Gideon to find out
what has happened to Winnefred.
Lord Gideon makes the long trip to Scotland imaging a
variety of scenarios in which he rescues the young woman and
is looked upon as a hero. Instead, he is greeted with a
pistol in his back and then hit with a frying pan.
When Gideon wakes up, Winnefred and her friend, Lilly
pretend that he was set upon by brigands. Gideon goes along
with the pretense for a short while until he can learn what
he needs to know. When he learns how much they lived on and
offers restitution in full, Lilly asks for a season for
Winnefred.
As they prepare for the season, Gideon will fall in love and
restore his brother's lost love to him. Gideon is haunted
by the memory of the men and boys who were lost when his
ship was destroyed. He won't ever marry because of the
nightmares. Winnefred is not your usual miss and she is
determined to bring Gideon out of the past to face a
brighter future.
I've been a fan of Ms. Johnson's from her first book and
this story moves her up in my estimation. She writes
wonderful characters and witty dialog. Her stories are
interesting with some unique twists. So much of what I love
about the regency genre and has been missing from so many of
the historicals released lately can be found in her books.
Highly recommended!
The Woman Makes the Man... Winnefred Blythe learned at a young age to make do with very little. After the death of her father, she taught herself to live on a pauper’s allowance—until a charming visitor promises her the funds that had been stolen from her through the years. But Freddie isn’t comfortable with the trappings of money—or the attentions of a stranger from London… But can a man make a lady? After the war, Lord Gideon Haverston resolved to never again burden himself with the troubles of others. Still, he was expecting to be greeted as a hero by the tough young woman his stepmother cheated out of house and home, not suspected as a conspirator. Indeed, the situation is more complicated than Gideon had expected—and the task of taming Winnefred Blythe, much more alluring…
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy