Heiress Gone Wild: Dear Lady Truelove
Set in the late Victorian era, the fourth in this series takes up the story of Jonathan, the brother of the Deverill sisters who found love and marriage in the first two books. He strikes it rich, mining silver on the American frontier, but when his partner lies dying of consumption, Jonathan promises him he will care for ‘his little girl’. When he visits the school in New York, however, he finds not a child, but a beautiful young woman who is determined to accompany him to England for a season among the aristocracy. Aware of the impropriety, he refuses, but she purchases passage on the same ship anyway.
Though he tries to honor his responsibilities as guardian to a wealthy heiress, Jonathan eventually succumbs to his powerful attraction, and he proposes marriage; but though Marjorie McGann shares his feelings, will she agree to marry a man she believes to be as restless and unreliable as her father?
Although the pair spend rather too much time analyzing their conflicted feelings, their interaction is lively and entertaining, and the critique of snobbishness, enforced idleness, and sense of privilege among the English aristocracy is perceptive. Definitely recommended.
