Fortunate Wager
Caroline Fortune is a spirited young lady who nevertheless knows that she has to live within the conventions of Newmarket society. Her brother, Harry, runs a racing stable, but Caroline is the brains behind the outfit and with his collusion, helps to not only train their horses, but occasionally rides them on the sly. She is also a dab hand at spotting winners, and thus makes money on betting wagers. Lord Alexander Rothwell arrives in Newmarket and is asked to sort out some dubious goings on in the betting stakes. He also has an issue with Caroline’s brother that involves a wager over a supposedly unrideable horse. When Alex is badly injured in the Fortune’s stable yard, it falls to Caroline to nurse him, an inconvenience they could both do without, but which has interesting consequences.
This is a fast-paced, well-researched read with a well rounded heroine readers will root for and a complex hero with just the right amount of cantankerousness and arrogance to make him interesting and difficult without turning him into a boor. Indeed, discovering the vulnerable areas in his personality while he is Caroline’s unwanted patient is part of the enjoyment of the novel.
The author lives close to Newmarket and makes excellent use of her local knowledge to create the background details to this delightful, entertaining novel.
