A notorious rake
Meets a spirited spinster…
At a weekend shooting party, where the guests are as determined to bag a marriage partner as they are a pheasant, two attendees are under siege. The Duke of Kingsford from a clutch of desperate debutantes, and Charlotte FitzRoy from her matchmaking mother! A pretend courtship between them should keep the others at bay, but an unexpected, impassioned kiss may just bring about the marriage they both sought to avoid!
Good book. Charlotte is one of the "new breed" of women who are independent, intelligent, and not interested in subjugating themselves to the selfish men they are exposed to. She has her interests, such as supporting a hospital in a poor section of London, that don't include trying to catch a husband. Unfortunately, her mother wants her married ASAP, and she doesn't care who the groom is. The shooting party they attend is rife with eager young women and far too many sketchy bachelors. While her mother searches for a target, Charlotte merely wants to ask her host to donate to the hospital.
Another attendee, Nicholas, is on the other end of the problem. Since his recent elevation to Duke, he is the target of every debutante and matchmaking mama he encounters. He has no interest in marriage. He attends the house party to play cards with the host and counts the hours until the card games begin. The only bright spot in the evening is the presence of Charlotte.
Nicholas and Charlotte have a history together. Years earlier, in her first Season, Charlotte approached Nicholas with an unusual and shocking request. He turned her down rather than ruin her prospects, but she saw it as a rejection. She never knew how he felt about her and carried a grudge ever since. Meanwhile, Nicholas left England for a wild time in Europe, hoping to erase her from his mind. It didn't work, and seeing her again brings it all back.
I enjoyed watching the development of their relationship. Nicholas and Charlotte encounter each other while trying to escape from their pursuers. Nicholas comes up with the idea of pretending to court as a way of fending off the others. Charlotte is somewhat reluctant at first but quickly realizes the benefits. Though she spent the last years still angry over his rejection, it becomes apparent that the attraction she felt toward Nicholas then is even stronger now. For his part, Nicholas discovers that he tempts fate whenever he is near her. One of the things I loved about Nicholas is that he likes Charlotte just the way she is. He appreciates her sense of justice and honor and enjoys seeing her stand up for herself. There's an amusing scene where Charlotte decides to seduce him and attempts to employ the standard female wiles. It doesn't go well, as Nicholas is completely confused by her actions. A confrontation turns into a heated encounter that gets more than a little out of hand. They narrowly escape a forced marriage, leading to an end of their pretend courtship. Though neither is sure why both are upset at the parting.
The house party also served another purpose. The host, the Marquess of Boswick, demanded a rematch of cards between himself and Nicholas. Boswick believes he is a better cardplayer than he is but consistently loses to Nicholas. This time, Nicholas promises Charlotte that he will donate his winnings to her hospital. Of course, the card game goes his way, angering Boswick again. Even worse, it happens again the next night. Nicholas believes that honor is satisfied and departs the house party early after his argument with Charlotte.
Matters become complicated when Boswick shows up to blackmail Nicholas. Given a choice, Nicholas would rather destroy his own reputation than see anything happen to Charlotte. She is devastated, but I wanted to shake her because she believed what she read in the paper. Then a conversation with Boswick made her reconsider. Once she figured out what really happened, she took steps to right the wrong. I loved what she did - it was so much a Charlotte thing to do. Nicholas's reaction wasn't much of a surprise, nor was Charlotte's response. It took a conversation with her sister-in-law for Charlotte to admit the truth. I loved their big moment at the end and seeing them finally admit to their feelings. The epilogue was terrific.
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