This romance set in Regency society holds up a mirror to modern life, as the best fiction should. THE VISCOUNT’S FORBIDDEN FLIRTATION with Miss Seraphine Mounier occurs following a duel. Henri Mounier is a French emigrant, and he and his sister Seraphine barely escaped the revolution in which their titled parents were killed. Raised in London by relatives, they were looked on kindly by the Ton as well-born children – but the years of war against Napoleon changed the general view of the French.

Ezra Hart, heir to Viscount Hart, has no liking for French immigrants in England. He fought well at the Battle of Waterloo which finally put paid to Napoleon, and bears the mental scars. He should not have challenged Henri to a duel – or written a pamphlet condemning the foreigners in England. Knowing he was wrong doesn’t make Ezra feel any better about himself, due to a deep-seated insecurity. He was legally adopted, the son of a rector, as the Viscount had no heir. Ever since, he’s felt he doesn’t do his family justice. And the now-elderly Viscount has no liking for the French either, as the race has murdered the cream of French society and attempted to conquer all of Europe.

What a conundrum when Seraphine and Ezra come face to face at the duel and decide the other is interesting. They haven’t been formally introduced – and dueling is illegal. They go their separate ways but meet again at a ball. Seraphine has no desire to wed, and Ezra would be in no hurry to wed, but his adoptive father is telling him to get on with getting married. Not to a Frenchwoman, though. Heavens forfend.

I enjoyed the tale, which carries a frisson of danger throughout and – since the characters are in their late twenties – doesn’t press too hard for chaperonage. I especially like that Seraphine intends to work for the good of society, as many young women did due to a shortage of men after the wars. This is the second in a series about four soldier friends, who feature in A Season To Wed. I’ll be interested to follow their progress. There’s also a ring of The Scarlet Pimpernel about this story, if you remember, Sir Percy was rescuing French children from the guillotine and bringing them to London, but now we see how their lives might have continued.

This is a thoughtful tale by Sarah Rodi, and THE VISCOUNT’S FORBIDDEN FLIRTATION is highly romantic, dangerous and well-developed.