Katharine Ashe's THE EARL, is an elegantly written opposites attract love story which features suspense, fabulous dialogue, romance and history. I have been waiting for this story for several years and I was not disappointed!
Lady Justice writes about social reform in her pamphlets. She and Peregrine are fierce political opponents who have appeared throughout Ms. Ashe's Falcon Club series. The Falcon Club's mission is to find missing people and return them. Lady Justice's sister has been missing for several months and she reluctantly turns to Peregrine for assistance.
Lady Justice receives a note from Scotland which states that her sister is alive. She dismisses Peregrine and sets out to find her sister on her own. Peregrine and Lady Justice meet unexpectedly at an inn in Scotland where they are mistaken for a pair of felons who have murdered a local woman. Outnumbered, they leave the inn on horseback. The couple is pursued from village to village. Lady Justice has no choice but to follow Peregrine. The trip through the Scottish countryside parallels the couple's personal journey. To outsmart the people who are intent on capturing them, they must learn to trust and rely on each other.
Katharine Ashe creates characters who have purpose. Lady Justice and Peregrine are imperfect but, are perfect for each other. Both are strong willed and determined and these traits enable them to survive their ordeal.
Ms. Ashe is not afraid to portray characters that appear to be strong but, in fact, are emotionally vulnerable. Lady Justice's pamphlets show the importance and the value of the written word. The letters speak of social injustices, political reform and women's rights as important topics in 1822 and in 2016.
At first, the pairing of this couple surprised me. As I became immersed in THE EARL, I wanted them to elude the men who were chasing them and fall in love. The conclusion to THE EARL was splendidly crafted--full of surprises!
How does a bookish lady bring an arrogant lord to his knees?
Entice him to Scotland, strip him of titles and riches, and
make him prove what sort of man he truly is.
Oppositesβ¦
Handsome, wealthy, and sublimely confident, Colin Gray, the
new Earl of Egremoor, has vowed to unmask the rabble-rousing
pamphleteer, Lady Justice, the thorn in Englandβs paw. And
heβll stop at nothing.
Attract.
Smart, big-hearted, and passionately dedicated to her work,
Lady Justice longs to teach her nemesis a lesson in
humility. But her sister is missing, and a perilous journey
with her archrival into unknown territory just might turn
fierce enemies into lovers.
The moon had ceded the night to the stars when she arrived
at the meeting place they had agreed upon via letter: a
small ancient cemetery surrounded by a fence and hedges on a
street still busy with carriages and horse traffic. A long
black cloak and veil aided the dark in disguising her.
Her coachman walked beside her, but he would not accompany
her to the meeting. For all his taunting, Peregrine did not
frighten her. A man who dedicated his leisure time to
rescuing strays was unlikely to harm a lone woman.
The cobbles shimmered with rain as she gestured for Jonah to
remain across the street. Lamps lit this part of London
irregularly, and the break in the wall was in shadow. Beside
the gate stood an enormous man.
βMaβam.β The behemoth bowed. βHe awaits you within.β
It was immediately clear why Peregrine had suggested this
place. The thick hedge within the walls created a bower of
privacy and the gravestones scattered unevenly throughout
made swift escape impossible.
He had staged the situation to his advantage too. He stood
among the stones not four yards away, a lamp on the ground
behind him casting him in silhouette. He was tall, and the
breadth of his shoulders and solid stance suggested a man of
fine physical conditioning. The night was mild and he wore
no hat or overcoatβnothing to disguise him.
He was entirely willing for her to know his true identity.
The gate creaked closed behind her.
βGood evening, madam,β he said into the darkness. βIt is a
pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I have looked
forward to this moment for years. But, of course, you
already know that.β His voice was smooth and low, far from
menacing, rather intimate, and shockingly, unbelievably,
horribly familiar.
Only hours earlier this elegant voice had proposed marriage
to her.
βI am Gray,β he said. βNow remove that veil and tell me your
name.β
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