Lady Angeline Dudley thought nothing of breaking rules, she
knew there would be a scandal by her being alone in an inn,
without a chaperone. Edward Alisbury, Earl of Hayward,
watched Angeline when she entered the inn and knew she was
a lady. He decides to rescue her from unwelcome
advances. Angeline intends to marry her rescuer although
he has no idea the plans she is making, but first she must
find out who he is.
As a new Earl, Edward knows he must
marry and has already chosen who would be his new bride.
It is not Angeline, though he continues to have lascivious
thoughts about her. Edward has not always been so stuffy
but he never believed he would be an Earl either. Angeline
is in love with Edward but refuses to be married out of
duty. Instead she determines to match him up with the
woman he wants not matter the pain to herself. Unknown to
them both, others believe they belong together and
hatch a matchmaking plan to bring this union to fruition.
A host of adorable couples inhabit the pages of Ms. Balogh's
latest romance. Fraught with humor, warm emotions, and a
delightful plot, SECRET MISTRESS will please fans of this
author's writing. I could not keep from smiling as I
turned the pages of this great tale. Ms. Balogh never
disappoints!
In this enticing new romance ripe with sensuality and wit,
New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh proves
that comfort is no match for passion when a stuffy gentleman
becomes the object of desire of an adoring and spirited
young woman.
While Lady Angeline Dudley’s pedigree dictates that she must
land a titled gentleman, the irrepressible beauty secretly
longs for a simple, ordinary suitor. No wild rakes like the
men of her family, just a kind heart and good nature. So
when Edward Ailsbury, the new Earl of Heyward, rescues her
with unmatched civility from the advances of a scoundrel,
Angeline thinks that she has found her true love. Persuading
the earl is another matter entirely.
Edward has his future neatly mapped out. He hopes to wed his
steadfast companion, a woman who shares his values of
loyalty, respect, and decorum. But arriving in London to
take his seat in the House of Lords, he is derailed by
Angeline, an exquisite bird of paradise seemingly devoted to
sending his predictable life into chaos.
From the
brilliant hues of her fashion to her hoydenish antics,
Angeline is the last woman on earth for Edward. And yet a
stolen kiss in the moonlight awakens something deep and
primal within him. Naturally, being a gentleman, he does the
right thing after compromising a lady: He offers marriage.
Angeline knows that Edward’s proposal is born of duty, not
love. But denying something so provocative and passionate is
easier said than done. Deep down, Angeline believes that
Edward’s dedication to convention will melt behind closed
doors, where sensuality and seduction play wicked games. For
a proper wife by day can become a husband’s secret mistress
by night, when delicious desire rules.