Around town he's known as Earl Savage. Although he inherited his title legitimately-and, with it, responsibility for his three half sisters-Augustine is half American and part Iroquois. He can't wait to settle his father's estate, marry his sisters off, and return to his native soil. Until charming Lady Cecily has him considering a prolonged stay in England...Lady Cecily Francis is resigned to become the wife of Lord Drury, the man she suspects her sister is pining for. But upon her first scandalous encounter with the exotic Earl of Augustine-the American whom everyone is whispering about- Cecily is intrigued by the possibility of a more exciting life. If only she could contrive some way to marry the unconventional earl instead....
Cecily Francis is immediately intrigued by Jonathan, the Earl of Augustine. He tests the bounds of common decency time and time again, yet while Cecily craves love and not an arranged marriage, she's not certain she could marry Lord Drury because she believes her sister Eleanor is in love with him.
Given their mutual attraction to one another, she tempts fate by suggesting an "engagement" to Jonathan, hoping to steer Eleanor and Drury together. Once Jonathan has his father's affairs in order and his three half-sisters married, he will return to America and their engagement will end.
Given their mutual attraction to one another, she tempts fate by suggesting an "engagement" to Jonathan, hoping to steer Eleanor and Drury together. Once Jonathan has his father's affairs in order and his three half-sisters married, he will return to America and their engagement will end.
"A long engagement is not unusual. We needn't make this complicated."
"It's already complicated."
He had a point. She smiled; please with the way he looked at her, as if the trappings of the dress, the fine furnishings, her carefully ordered hair, didn't matter because he was looking into her eyes. "How so?"
...
"Because of you," he said, not doing anything but just giving her a fascinating masculine grin. "Because of me. Because I kissed you. Because you kissed me back. If you think this is going to be simple, you're wrong."
Cecily is clever and observant, yet she does not hold form with thinking of Jonathan as the stereotypical "Earl Savage". In turn, Jonathan, while attracted to Cecily's beauty, comes to love her for her acceptance and sweet attitude. These are two individuals swept into a passionate love affair thanks in part to a societal faux pas. I cannot wait to see what Ms. Wildes has in store for the remaining heroines of this trilogy.
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