Otherwise Engaged
When she saves a young girl from drowning, Rebecca Rowley encounters the child’s half-brother, naval lieutenant Nicholas Avery. Sparks fly, but despite the inauspicious start, their relationship improves steadily. Indeed, were she not already secretly engaged, she might be falling in love. Or so she tells herself, for how can she be in love with two men? To further complicate the situation, deep hostility exists between the families of Rebecca and her fiancé. They hope to achieve a reconciliation, but when he arrives unexpectedly, their secret is revealed at the worst possible time. Nor is it the only one, for the family learns that she has been practicing riding bareback, not an acceptable activity for ladies in 1822. Then her sister-in-law goes into premature labor.
Prospects for a happy outcome look decidedly bleak: will mother and child survive? Can both families be reconciled? What about Nicholas? A chastened Rebecca struggles to apologize for the harm her impulsive thoughtlessness has caused, but is it too late to set things right? Well, if the apologies are sincere and everyone remembers that they too are less than perfect, then perhaps there is hope. This is a Regency, after all. Strongly recommended.
