She's inherited a fortune
But will she realize her true worth?
Claiming her inheritance in London will help Beatrice
Fothergill escape her bullying, belittling half-brother. When her carriage
overturns, dashing Waterloo soldier Jack Kingswood comes to her aid -- setting
her pulse racing! In return, believing her new fortune can help the injured
veteran rebuild his life, Beatrice proposes a convenient marriage. But is this
all she can offer -- or dare Beatrice believe she's worthy of more?
Second of three books about three women who receive an unexpected
inheritance. Each one is the illegitimate daughter of Lady Tregowan's late
husband, and making them her heirs is her way of making amends. There are conditions
to the inheritance: they must spend a year in London, participate in the
Season, and find a husband by the end of that year. If they don't, they lose
their inheritance but still receive an allowance and a cottage to live in. Even
that is better than their current circumstances.
In the first book, The Rags-to-Riches Governess, Leah
finds unexpected love with the father of her charges. Leah continues to live in
London to fulfill the requirements and plays an essential role in this book.
This book is about Beatrice, the daughter of Lady
Tregowan's companion, who was married off as soon as her pregnancy was known. After
her mother died, Beatrice's "father" treated her like a slave, and
after his death, her brother Percy and his wife picked up where he left off. Their
bullying made life even more miserable. When Beatrice received the lawyer's
letter about the will reading, she had to find a way to sneak off to attend.
The news of the inheritance stunned her and immediately set her to thinking how
she could get away before her brother found out about it. The carriage ended up
in a ditch on the way back home, where Jack Kingswood rescued her.
A veteran of Waterloo, where he lost part of his left
arm, Jack doesn't know what to do with the rest of his life. Currently living
with his brother, who cared for him during his recovery, Jack now chafes under
Kit's overprotective care. He also believes no woman would be interested in
him. After rescuing Beatrice and hearing her story, Jack can't forget her. When
he finds out her escape plans, he vows to help her. Jack's cynical brother Kit
is a fly in the ointment who believes that Beatrice has ulterior motives.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between
Beatrice and Jack. Both have difficult pasts but turned out to be good people.
Despite Kit's attitude, Jack tends to believe in Beatrice (with a few bumps
along the way). I ached for Beatrice, overworked, constantly called stupid, and
made to feel worthless. Even after she escaped, whenever she did something, she
heard those words echoing in her head.
Meanwhile, Jack's self-confidence is at an all-time low.
He feels less than a whole man, hates being an object of pity, and no longer
sees marriage as an option for him. But when they are together, there is a
connection between Jack and Beatrice. Jack sees a kind and intelligent woman
and witnesses her growth in confidence and poise. Beatrice's view of Jack as a
man with one arm rather than a one-armed man (see the difference?) who she
desires helps restore some of his confidence. The icing on the cake comes with
an exciting scene when Jack rescues her from Percy's nefarious plans. I loved
the ending, as Jack realizes that pride and fear have no place in the future he
wants with Beatrice. She, too, must let go of her fears, and I liked seeing the
confident Beatrice emerge as she did. I look forward to seeing more of them in
the next book as Aurelia looks for her happy-ever-after.
The secondary characters were terrific. Percy and his
wife, Fenella, were excellent villains. Their selfishness and cruelty made it
easy to dislike them. The girls' chaperon Mrs. Butterby is sweet but strong
enough to keep her charges on the straight-and-narrow. There are hints that she
knows more of Lady Tregowan's story than she's shared so far, and I'm curious
to see what it might be. I also look forward to Aurelia's story, as there are
hints that it could be a forbidden romance. However, the most intriguing of the
secondary characters is Jack's twin brother, Kit. They have a loving and
supportive past, and Kit's care of Jack since his return is unquestioned. His
protectiveness goes a little overboard, especially after Jack meets Beatrice. Kit was highly obnoxious about and to
Beatrice through most of the book, and I frequently wanted to shake him. Finding
out his reason made it a little more understandable but still frustrating. I
would love to see him find true love.
But will she realize her true worth?
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