She fled her home in Cornwall for London, but without money or protection, her future seems bleak. She's the orphan Lady Sara Illingsworth, who mistakenly believes she killed a man who was attempting to rape her. Jane is proud and feisty because, actually, she's not really a common serving girl. As punishment, he insists she be his nurse for the three weeks he is recuperating. Furious, he confronts the disruptive woman, milliner's assistant Jane, who is impudent beyond her station in accusing him of foolishly risking his life. Jocelyn hesitates and is shot in the leg. While preparing to fire his pistol during a duel, he is interrupted by a woman's scream urging him to stop. Jocelyn is an avowed bachelor, rake and accomplished duelist. The predictability of their predicament-they come from different social classes-is compensated for by an authentic London high society setting and the smart, sexy dialogue between Jocelyn Dudley, duke of Tresham, and Jane Ingleby, the two attractive, headstrong protagonists. In her assured hardcover debut, Balogh (One Night for Love) serves up two Regency-era characters determined not to fall in love with each other, despite their shared aesthetic sensibilities, uncontrollable physical attraction and increasingly intimate friendship.
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