Abigail Wendover, 'on the shelf' at twenty-eight...is determined to prevent her pretty and high-spirited niece from becoming attached to a good-looking town-beau and an acknowledged fortune-hunter of shocking reputation. Unfortunately, that means a confrontation with his scandalous uncle.
Miles Calverleigh, the black sheep of his family, is enormously rich from a long sojourn in India, has a scandalous past, and is not at all inclined toward good manners. Miles turns out to be the most provoking creature Abigail has ever met—with a disconcerting ability to throw her into giggles at quite the wrong moment... Could he be Abby's most important ally in keeping her niece from a most unfortunate match?
Praise for Georgette Heyer:
"Reading Georgette Heyer is the next best thing to reading Jane Austen."—Publishers Weekly
"A writer of great wit and style... I've read her books to ragged shreds."—Kate Fenton, Daily Telegraph
"Her books are always bestsellers, but none has dominated the rest of the field quite like this one."—Sunday Express
The late Georgette Heyer was a very private woman. Her historical novels have charmed and delighted millions of readers for decades, though she rarely reached out to the public to discuss her works or private life. She was born in Wimbledon in August 1902. She wrote her first novel, The Black Moth, at the age of seventeen to amuse her convalescent brother; it was published in 1921 and became an instant success.
Heyer published 56 books over the next 53 years, until her death from lung cancer in 1974. Heyer's large volume of works included Regency romances, mysteries and historical fiction. Known as the Queen of Regency romance, Heyer was legendary for her research, historical accuracy and her extraordinary plots and characterizations. Her last book, My Lord John, was published posthumously in 1975. She was married to George Ronald Rougier, a barrister, and they had one son, Richard.