From American heiress…
…to his convenient countess!
When American schoolteacher Clementine Maccoish rescues a
handsome stranger from perilously drowning late at night, she's stunned to
discover he's actually Heath Cavill -- the Earl of Fencroft -- and the man
she's conveniently betrothed to! He has a reputation for being a man of
mystery, so what was he doing outside so late? Intrigued by his secrets, Clementine
wishes to find out the truth before she walks down the aisle to wed him!
Good book. In the late 1800s, many of England's
aristocracy found themselves in financial difficulties, while there was a slew
of wealthy Americans with eligible daughters. A match made in heaven, so to
speak, as the daughters married titled men and the men got healthy dowries to
repair their family fortunes. Wealthy James Maccoish and Oliver Cavill came to
an agreement where Oliver and James's granddaughter Madeline would marry.
Unfortunately, Madeline ran off before they even left the States, and Oliver
died, leaving his brother Heath to take over the title and impoverished
estates. Meanwhile, James was determined that a match take place anyway.
I liked Clementine and Heath. Clementine is a
schoolteacher who loves what she does. She isn't all that happy to be marrying,
but she loves her grandfather and will do it for him. She is intelligent and
kind and fiercely independent. Heath isn't all that happy to be stuck with the
title and estates, plus his brother's fiancée. He has a special project going
on, and a wife will get in the way. Heath is a good man with a strong sense of
honor. He is charming and funny when he wants to be.
When Clementine and Heath first met, it was late at night
in the garden between their residences. Heath ended up face down in the
fountain, and it was Clementine who pulled him out. Both of them were in
awkward positions, so neither gave their real names when they introduced
themselves. But there was no doubt about the sparks that were there between
them. Imagine their surprise when they were formally introduced to each other! Though
they were disposed to agree to the marriage anyway, the wedding was accelerated
when they were discovered in a slightly compromising position.
There are complications to their marriage. Because of the
secret work that he does, Heath needs to keep Clementine at a distance so that
she isn't implicated if he gets caught. Unfortunately for him, he likes
Clementine and also wants to get closer to her. Clementine is frustrated,
knowing that he is keeping something from her but with no way to find out what
it is. For her part, Clementine desperately wants a chance to do something
useful. She misses teaching, but it isn't something a countess is permitted to
do. When she finally finds something she can do, it runs up against Heath's
secret.
I liked the development of the relationship between Heath
and Clementine. They had much in common, and it was easy to see them falling
for each other. As they grew closer, the sparks between them grew hotter, and I
loved seeing them finally give in to them. They realized and admitted their love
for each other fairly quickly, but pride kept them from sharing their secrets. I
ached for Heath, who felt guilty about keeping Clementine in the dark, but thought
that it was the only way to protect her. He made some boneheaded mistakes because
of it, some of which put Clementine in danger after all. I was frustrated with
Clementine, who knew that Heath must have reasons for forbidding her to do what
she did, but her pride wouldn't let her give in. When she decided to take
matters into her own hands she only made matters worse. I was glued to the
pages at the end when she discovered her mistake and took steps to fix it. I
laughed out loud at her methods and cheered when they were successful. There
was one last obstacle to clear, and it was a vital one. The final confrontation
was intense, and I loved seeing the significant part that Clementine played in
it. It was satisfying to see the bad guy finally get what was coming to him.
The epilogue was great.
The secondary characters were also good. James Maccoish was
quite a character. There was no doubt about his love for both his
granddaughters, nor about how well he knew them. I thoroughly enjoyed his part
at the end, from his support of Heath to his glee during the epilogue. I also
liked Heath's sister Olive. She has good reason to be bitter about men, and I
wasn't sure about her at the beginning. But she turned out to be a terrific
friend to Clementine. I especially enjoyed her scene at Lady Guthrie's tea. I
am curious about Clementine's cousin Madeline, and hope that she will have her
own story soon.
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