An Unwitting Alliance (Matchmaking Mamas, #2)
Part of the Matchmaking Mamas series, this story starts with baron’s son Tom Harwood meeting Cassandra Vail at a ball. Unbeknownst to both, their parents have arranged a marriage between them. While Cassandra wants to marry well to help her financially challenged parents, Tom is not whom she had in mind. She writes him a letter full of lies intended to put him off, but he nevertheless visits her home to become better acquainted. He soon gets involved in improving conditions at the local workhouse, and in aiding the Vails when Cassy’s mother is unexpectedly brought to bed with her next child, while Mr. Vail is called away on business to London. Can Tom and Cassy overcome her initial aversion?
Romance fans will guess the answer, but the fun is in the journey. Cassy must find a way to fend off a theft accusation, and Tom feels compelled to help a workhouse runaway. The pair court while interacting with family and locals. The conflict is on the mild side. A quibble: would an unrelated man be admitted to the bedroom of a woman in labor in that era? Recommended to fans of traditional Regency romances.
