Pride, Lust, Envy and Greed…vices that could lead a
gentleman down the road to ruin. Unless he meets his saving grace in the form
of a virtuous poor relation.
A chance meeting at dawn on Hogmanay brings a tall, dark,
and handsome man into Lady Calliope's life. Will he bring good fortune and the
promise of love, or disaster?
Viscount William Chattsworth is envious of his cousin,
the duke. The duke's good fortune and lofty position in society has been
well-earned. The viscount's circumstances have been drastically reduced after
his father, the earl, mysteriously disappears. Thinking to make the most of the
distant familial connection, he seeks an audience with the duke. The audience
does not go as planned, and the half-truths he tells the duke are exposed as
angry words are exchanged.
Lady Calliope Harrington has been enjoying an extended
stay at Wyndmere Hall with the duke's sister, Lady Phoebe, and their good friend,
Lady Aurelia Coddington, as she prepares to marry the duke's brother.
Distracted by the raised voices coming out of the duke's upstairs study, she
pauses at the top of the stairs to listen.
The viscount storms out of the study and barrels into
Lady Calliope, catching her before she falls headlong down the staircase.
Breathless from having the wind knocked out of her, Calliope cannot speak, only
cling to her rescuer's arms.
The duke rushes out of his study and sees Lady Calliope
in the viscount's arms, the butler and housekeeper at the bottom of the stairs
staring at the couple, and immediately demands his cousin marry Calliope to
save her reputation.
The viscount is saddled with a bride-to-be, who has no
fortune or family to speak of, and is on shaky terms with his benefactor, the
duke. Calliope is about to marry a man who is blinded by envy and desperately
in search of an heiress, while she has nothing to offer him.
Living apart, the viscount in London at the behest of the
duke, and Calliope at Chattsworth Manor, the couple slowly realize the instant
attraction they had felt on Hogmanay has only grown stronger, while Calliope's
frustration over their hasty marriage to protect her name, and the viscount's
need to marry an heiress, lessen over time.
Will the viscount let go of the crippling envy that keeps
him from seeing the inner strength beneath Calliope's quiet beauty and come to
love her? Will Calliope learn to trust the viscount and finally find her true
place in life—at the viscount's side?
Good book. I haven't read the first two books in the
series, but this one worked fine as a standalone. The book opens with William
bemoaning his dire financial state. A year earlier, his father lost a lot of
money gambling, invested more in a questionable venture, and disappeared
without a trace. Most of the estate staff quit when William couldn't pay them,
except for four rather elderly retainers, and the house and tenant farms desperately
need repair. As he sees it, his only option is to ask his cousin, the Duke of
Wyndmere, for financial help. William can't help feeling envious of the duke's
current good fortune and well-earned respect. On his way to the duke's estate,
William stops for directions at a church, where he meets the lovely Lady
Calliope.
Calliope and her friend Lady Aurelia arrived at the
church before dawn on Hogmanay for the finishing touches in preparation for
Aurelia's wedding later that day. The last thing she expected was for a tall,
dark, and handsome man to step over the threshold, stirring visions of love and
good fortune. After spending years as an unpaid servant and poor relation,
abused by her cousins, Calliope was rescued and taken in by Aurelia and her
uncle, Lord Coddington. He and the duke work to regain Calliope's inheritance
which her cousins stole, but as yet, she is still poor.
I enjoyed watching the development of the relationship
between Calliope and William. During that first day, neither one can take their
eyes off the other. Thrown together during the wedding festivities, the seeds
of attraction find fertile ground. But William needs to marry an heiress to
gain the funds to repair the estate, and Calliope doesn't qualify. Fate intervenes
when an unintended collision ends up with Calliope in William's arms and the
duke insisting they marry to save her reputation. As he doesn't have the means
to support a wife, William is aghast, and Calliope knows he didn't want to
marry a poor woman. Meanwhile, the duke separates the two, sending William to
London and Calliope to William's home.
I wasn't sure I liked William at the beginning. His envy
of the duke ate at him, and he tried to lie his way into gaining the duke's
support. I liked his concern for his employees and tenants, which gave me hope
that he was redeemable. I also appreciated William's determination to fulfill
the duke's task list to the best of his ability. Some of those tasks included
actions geared toward finding out what happened to William's father. The more
time he spent in London, working on the duke's charges, the easier he found it
to overcome his envious feelings and think about what was good in his life. He
also found himself thinking more often of Calliope and worrying about her time
at Chattsworth Manor.
Calliope seemed a bit faint-hearted to me at first with
her constant worry about doing something wrong. I felt terrible for her feelings
of rejection over William's attitude toward their marriage, especially since
she already had started falling for him. She impressed me upon her arrival at
Chattsworth with the way she jumped right into making things better. Because
she spent so many years as a servant, Calliope had no problems rolling up her
sleeves and doing things herself.
I loved how it became apparent that absence made the
heart grow fonder when it came to William and Calliope. When nasty rumors
circulated about her, William's first thought was protecting her, then dealing
with the person responsible. I loved the scene where he showed up at
Chattsworth long enough to check on her and his surprise at what he found
before heading back to finish what he started. Meanwhile, Calliope has found
her strength and refuses to allow William to put himself in danger for her. I
laughed at the departure scene and cheered on her determination to have her
way. A duel and an injury bring them closer together, but then Calliope's fears
and insecurities send her running. I loved William's pursuit and the advice he
receives that helps him prove his love to her.
There is a bit of suspense worked into the story regarding
William's father's disappearance. William must deal with people who think he
had a part in the earl's disappearance while at the same time trying to uncover
the truth. The duke's assistance was invaluable, and I enjoyed seeing the
various steps taken to make it happen. The resolution was well done, and I
liked the results.
I also liked the secondary characters. The duke and his
wife, as well as Edward and Aurelia, were good friends to Calliope. I gathered
that there was trouble in their stories, and I can't wait to read them. One of
my favorite things about the duke was his motto of "family first." I
loved that he doesn't throw money at a problem but instead helps William help
himself. He also seemed a little more human/normal when faced with his impending
fatherhood. Edward and Aurelia were good friends to Calliope, and I liked how
they showed up at Chattsworth to check on her.
Some of my favorite characters were the various men who
made up the duke's guards. All of them were large Irishmen, prone to fighting
but with soft hearts when dealing with the ladies. I also like Calliope's maid,
Mary Kate, whose backstory was as heartbreaking as Calliope's. Her unwavering
support and friendship with Calliope were great. I'm still up in the air over
William's cousin Marcus, whose actions when he stopped at Chattsworth were not
those of a gentleman. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Calliope deal with him. I
suspect the fourth book is about him, and I look forward to seeing what the
author has in store for him. 
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