Rules of Engagement
Governess Brides #3
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4.5 • 6 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Rules of Engagement:
Choose a bride from this year's debutantes.
Decide on a proper settlement.
Send an announcement to The Times.
Inform the bride of her good fortune.
Rules of Respectability:
Devon Mathewes, Earl of Kerrich, has a plan that is sure to restore him to the Queen's favor. First, he must hire a sensible, unattractive governess. Next, he will see to adopting a properly grateful orphan, which will surely lend him a patina of respectability. Finally, he must obtain a guarantee that his orphan and the governess will better his character and reputation without unduly disturbing his life—love life or otherwise.
Rules of Passion:
As a condition of accepting the governess position, Miss Pamela Lockhart of the Distinguished Academy of Governesses has a few rules of her own. Devon at all times must behave with propriety, an unlikely accomplishment that would delight the ton and completely astonish Pamela herself. She must be allowed to choose a suitable orphan at her own discretion. Most important, Devon must vow to never ever delve into Pamela's background, or her appearance, lest he discover the truth behind the deepest secrets of her heart. But of course, all rules are made to be broken . . .
An Avon Romance
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Dodd's extraordinary second book in the Governess Brides series opens with Miss Pamela Lockhart and Miss Hannah Setterington in precarious financial straits: someone has stolen the monthly income that insures the survival of their Distinguished Academy of Governesses. So when the Earl of Kerrich requests a mature governess who will acquire him an orphan and provide Queen Victoria with proof of his respectability, the young ladies are forced to accept Kerrich's profitable offer, despite its slightly dishonorable aspects. Pamela, once a belle of society, disguises herself as an elderly, plainspoken governess and rescues young Beth from the orphanage to become Kerrich's ward. As head of his grandfather's bank (which manages some of the Crown's wealth), Kerrich must convince the queen that he is a man who can be trusted, even while he is aware of a scandal involving counterfeit money and the possible theft of bank funds. As Kerrich investigates the crime, Pamela and Beth become more closely intertwined in the earl's life, and he finds himself relishing the daily sparring with a woman who meets him as an equal. When Pamela's disguise is revealed, Kerrich's banked passion ignites and he tries to convince her to marry, thereby solving her money problems and assuring his respectability. A fiery romance ensues and the two proud lovers discover intimacy in the midst of family difficulties. Dodd's beautifully rendered love story expertly portrays the growth and maturity that develops in the course of realizing true love and continues her series with a thoroughly satisfying addition.
