From abducted……
to betrothed!
To stop an unsuitable elopement, Tobias Spenlow bundles
his ward's intended bride into his carriage—only to discover he's made a
terrible mistake. The woman is actually innocent governess Miss Dorothy
Phillips—whose reputation he's unintentionally ruined! The only way to right
this wrong is for the earl to wed her. She might have accidentally become his
countess, but their consuming attraction has him courting her in earnest!
Fun book, with two people who are used to being in charge
and must learn when to give a little. Dora is the oldest of five siblings and
ran the family after her mother's death when Dora was ten. After her vicar
father's recent death, the only way to keep the family together was to use
their inheritance to send the younger children to school while Dora takes up a
governess post. She's on her way to her first post when her journey is rudely
interrupted. While comforting a young runaway couple, the young man's guardian
arrives, determined to stop the elopement. Lord Worsley grabs the woman he
believes has led his ward astray and abducts her without stopping to check his
facts.
Worsley is so intent in his purpose that he doesn't
listen as both Geoffrey and Dora try to tell him he has the wrong woman. It
isn't until the next morning, when he attempts to return the young woman to her
parents that he discovers the truth. Worsley is naturally horrified and
apologetic and tries to return her to her original location to resume her
journey. Unfortunately, her reputation is thoroughly compromised by now, and he
insists on marrying Dora to make it right.
The abduction is the first of many misunderstandings that
are both funny and heartbreaking. Dora is a practical young woman who has
frequently been accused of being "managing." She doesn't suffer fools
gladly and has no trouble speaking her mind. I loved how she didn't get
hysterical during the abduction; she simply settled down and waited for the
truth to come out. That's not to say she didn't have some choice words for
Worsley when the opportunity arose. Worsley, an earl, is used to saying what he
wants and having people follow through. He rarely stops to think about the
effect of his words.
I liked both Worsley and Dora though they also frequently
frustrated me. Worsley doesn't relate well to people. He doesn't understand
them and how they say one thing and do another. He'd much rather spend time
with his horses. He's well aware of his failings but has never tried very hard
to overcome them. However, it does affect Worsley's confidence in himself when dealing
with women, and he spends a lot of time castigating himself for his words and
actions.
Dora has zero confidence in herself as a woman. I blame
this entirely on her father. She is taller than the average woman, and her
father constantly told her that she wouldn't appeal to many men. He also told
her to give up any ideas of marriage until all of her siblings were settled as
they were her responsibility. She spends most of her time convincing herself
that Worsley doesn't really want her.
I enjoyed most of their interactions. Both Worsley and
Dora believe in honest speech, so they don't play silly games with each other. Unfortunately,
Worsley is so verbally awkward that he seems to make matters worse every time
he opens his mouth. He wants Dora to know how much he likes and admires her,
but he frequently ends up insulting her instead. Meanwhile, because she refuses
to believe that he could want her, Dora hesitates to make her feelings known. On
those rare occasions she starts to feel something happens (usually Worsley
putting his foot in his mouth) that makes her pull back again.
Things got a little better when Dora brought her siblings
to live with her. Working together to deal with the children forced Dora and
Worsley to talk to each other. When he instigated a move to another property,
Worsley hoped that Dora would begin to feel more like his countess. I loved
seeing Dora finally overcome some of her reticence and let him know that she
wanted to be a real wife to him. At last, they seemed to be getting past some
of their communication issues. I laughed out loud at the one scene where
Worsley played the neglected lover.
Not everything is smooth-sailing, however. Gregory and
his new wife have been living at this estate since their elopement. Pansy is a
spoiled brat and managed to alienate most of the estate staff with her
attitude. She is also a master of snide little digs that appear intent on
making things difficult between Dora and Worsley. Matters come to a head when
she does something that endangers Dora's life, and the kids witness it. It's an
eye-opener for Worsley as he realizes his feelings for Dora, and I loved seeing
him face her with those feelings. Dora's happiness, as she finally believed,
was terrific. I loved when she told him:
"Stop talking. You know that is
not where you excel. Show me how you feel, instead. You are very good at
that." I liked the solution they came up with for Gregory (who I did like)
and Pansy (who I'm still on the fence about).
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