Governess Gone Rogue: Dear Lady Truelove
James St. Clair, heir to the Marquess of Rolleston, is a widower with twin ten-year-old sons who are adept at driving off governesses. Nor is he having better luck with male tutors, until Mr. Seton arrives. Despite his youth, he wins over the boys with his spirited determination and stimulating teaching methods. But then James discovers that he is really a she in disguise: the notorious Amanda Leighton, who lost her teaching post and reputation after being caught naked in the arms of her lover by the headmistress. He fires her immediately, but the boys rally to her defence, and he really needs help. Reluctantly, he rehires her as a governess. Even more reluctantly, they find themselves drawn to each other. Prospects of a happy marriage are looking bright, but then a figure from Amanda’s past finds her.
The author offers timely insights into the impact of the male-female double standard and the economic pressures on women in the Victorian era; and though the happy ending seems implausible, this is a romance, after all, and the characters do earn the right by learning to care for each other, despite the cost involved.
