Scandal at the Dower House
When Catarina’s elderly husband dies she moves into the Dower House to make way for the new Earl of Rasen, Nicholas Brooke. Although there is an attraction between the two, Catarina is soon embroiled in a potential scandal when her young sister is tricked into a false marriage and then left pregnant and alone. The sisters decamp to Portugal, but only Catarina returns, complete with her baby niece whom she passes off as her adopted daughter.
For the sake of the baby Catarina keeps Nicholas at arms length, despite her feelings for him. Then Nicholas’s brother, Jeremy, is attacked and left for dead. Simultaneously Joanna’s false husband reappears to claim his child and secure his “wife’s” money. Now is the time for Catarina and Nicholas to be honest with each other and pull together.
This is another enjoyable romance written by a prolific and popular author. Unusually for the genre the heroine and hero are kept apart for a significant proportion of the plot, which adds an extra dimension to the action. The storyline is also just racy enough to lift this above the ordinary and make it stand out from other novels of its type.
