Jason Cummings, Duke of Rayne seeks shelter from the
ravening hordes of mommas throwing sheltered misses at his
head whenever he appears in public. The safest place for
him, at least until he reconciles with his duty to get
married is the depths of the Historical Society, a long-time
bastion of dusty male consequence. At least until the
fascinating Miss Crane comes to call.
Winnifred Crane is determined to see her work acknowledged
and her father's last wish fulfilled. Before his death, her
father had written a letter revealing that she had been the
authoress of many of the treatises published by the
Historical Society under the nom de plume C. W. Marks, and
asking for their acknowledgement of her work. She will
allow nothing to stand in her way, especially not her
blustering buffoon of a cousin, George Bambridge who hopes
to trade on her father's reputation to secure his own place
in the Society. She finds an unexpected ally in the Duke of
Rayne who is tapped by the society to oversee her attempts
to prove herself. If she can prove her assertion that a
painting held in high regard by the president of the society
is not, as they believe by Albrecht Dürer, they will
acknowledge she has the level of expertise to have written
the C. W. Marks papers.
Kate Noble has written a sparkling, fascinating story, run
through with bright gleams of humor and crafted with a keen
sense of the absurd. From her first appearance in FOLLOW MY
LEAD, Winnifred Crane commands your attention and sympathy,
and watching her effect on Jason as he struggles to keep up
with her while falling head-over-heels in love kept me
turning pages late into the night. I am off to find a copy
of The Summer of You (published March, 2011) wherein
Jane Cummings, sister of Jason found her own true love.
Jason Cummings, Duke of Rayne is feeling the weight of his
responsibilities - one of which is to get married. Being
the most sought after bachelor in London can be trying,
so who can blame him if he seeks refuge from the voracious
hordes of young debutantes at the decidedly female-free
Historical Society? Female-free, that is, until Winnifred
Crane marches up to the door, demanding entrance.
Despite her prowess as a historian, Winn is denied
membership the Society. So she daringly offers an unusual
bargain: if she can prove the authenticity of a certain
painting, she'll be granted recognition, fame, and
respect. But to do that, she must go abroad. And to go
abroad, she must have an escort, even a stubbornly
unwilling one...
Jason has no desire to accompany Winn on her adventure
across Europe, but even he is not immune to Winn's passion
for her profession. As the journey proves more difficult
than planned, they must work together to stay one step
ahead of their rivals.... and the closer they get to the
proof Winn seeks, the closer she and Jason become. But as
their adventure turns dangerous, can Jason keep this
headstrong bluestocking safe? And what will become of
their growing bond when the adventure ends?