From impoverished governess……to wealthy heiress
Governess Leah Thame learns she's inherited a fortune the
day her employer, the enigmatic Earl of Dolphinstone, returns from abroad. They
share an instant connection, but in order to claim her inheritance, Leah must
resign and find a husband. The guarded widower offers a convenient marriage to
stop her leaving, but Leah refuses. She won't marry the man who's captured her
heart unless there's a chance of her love being returned…
Terrific start to the new series. The story opens as Leah
answers a summons to a solicitor's office near her current place of employment.
There she learns of an inheritance and the stunning story behind it. She shares
her legacy with two other young women who turn out to be her half-sisters. All
three stand to inherit a substantial amount of money and property if they
fulfill the conditions: travel to London to partake of the Season and marry
within a year. The possibilities consume Leah's mind as she returns to Dolphin
Court, only to discover that her employer has returned after more than a year
away.
Dolph hired Leah as his children's governess right after his
wife's death and promptly left for the Continent. Blaming himself for Rebecca's
death, he hid behind his work with the Government after Waterloo. Eventually,
he felt guilty about abandoning his children and returned home to take up his
life there again.
The first meeting between Dolph and Leah was a little
rough. He arrived shortly before she returned from her appointment, which got
them off on the wrong foot. Things were also a little awkward because the
children were hesitant with Dolph. I liked that Leah stood up for herself and
put her irritation aside to ease Dolph and his children's situation. Leah faces
a dilemma because she doesn't want to leave the children until they are
comfortable with their father, but she also has a deadline to meet.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Dolph and
Leah develop. There is no doubt about the attraction that flares between them,
but both try to resist it. Leah is wary of men and their intentions after a few
bad experiences, and Dolph swore never to marry again. I liked watching them
together as Leah guided Dolph along the path of getting to know his children. At
the same time, Leah and Dolph found their feelings for each other grew
stronger. There were some sweet scenes between them, as well as some very
intense ones. Dolph continues to believe that he cannot make a woman happy, but
when Leah decides to leave, he comes up with a businesslike marriage proposal.
Though she loves both him and the children, she wants to be loved in return, so
she turns him down and leaves for London.
I loved Leah's arrival in London, where she immediately
starts to get acquainted with her sister Aurelia. Though there's plenty to do
and learn, Dolph and the children are never far from her mind. She can't help
comparing her present admirers to Dolph even though she knows she needs to move
on. Meanwhile, back at Dolphin Court, Dolph can't get Leah out of his mind. I
laughed at the conversation with his friend Hinckley, who knew precisely what
Dolph's problem was. I loved seeing him rush off to London, only to be faced
with the new Leah. I liked seeing him have to work a little to convince Leah of
how he felt and that Leah stood up for her needs. I look forward to seeing them
in the other books in the series.
I also look forward to getting to know Aurelia and Beatrice.
Aurelia arrived in London before Leah and has already formed some strong
opinions. I can see that their chaperone will have her hands full with Aurelia.
It sounds like she has an interesting backstory, and I can't wait to read it.
Beatrice arrived late enough that Aurelia and Leah thought they would have to get
her. Her backstory seems to involve an unpleasant brother who may create some
problems. That, too, should be an exciting story.
There was also a nice secondary story going on between Dolph's friend George Hinckley and Philippa, the vicar's daughter. I wasn't sure about him at first, but he quickly grew on me. I loved seeing the changes in him the more time he spent with Philippa.
One of the things I liked about this book was the way it
handled the subject of suicide. The effects on those left behind were vividly
portrayed without being clinical or made light of. I liked how Leah shared her
father's experiences as a vicar in a way that eased Dolph's guilt.
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