Clementine Maccooish rescues a man from drowning only to find that he's in fact her bethroded. Heath Cavill had no real reason to be out at that time and she is determined to find out why and to deal with the distraction that he is. She knows he has secrets and she would like to find thm out before they wed. However his secrets are dangerous and will complicate their lives.

The ways they deal with prejudice and snobbery were great fun and I liked the relationship between the two and how she wanted more than just being a wife. The end was sweet ( )

Good book. In the late 1800s, many of England's aristocracy found themselves in financial difficulties, while there was a slew of wealthy Americans with eligible daughters. A match made in heaven, so to speak, as the daughters married titled men and the men got healthy dowries to repair their family fortunes. Wealthy James Maccoish and Oliver Cavill came to an agreement where Oliver and James's granddaughter Madeline would marry. Unfortunately, Madeline ran off before they even left the States, and Oliver died, leaving his brother Heath to take over the title and impoverished estates. Meanwhile, James was determined that a match take place anyway.

I liked Clementine and Heath. Clementine is a schoolteacher who loves what she does. She isn't all that happy to be marrying, but she loves her grandfather and will do it for him. She is intelligent and kind and fiercely independent. Heath isn't all that happy to be stuck with the title and estates, plus his brother's fiancée. He has a special project going on, and a wife will get in the way. Heath is a good man with a strong sense of honor. He is charming and funny when he wants to be.

When Clementine and Heath first met, it was late at night in the garden between their residences. Heath ended up face down in the fountain, and it was Clementine who pulled him out. Both of them were in awkward positions, so neither gave their real names when they introduced themselves. But there was no doubt about the sparks that were there between them. Imagine their surprise when they were formally introduced to each other! Though they were disposed to agree to the marriage anyway, the wedding was accelerated when they were discovered in a slightly compromising position.

There are complications to their marriage. Because of the secret work that he does, Heath needs to keep Clementine at a distance so that she isn't implicated if he gets caught. Unfortunately for him, he likes Clementine and also wants to get closer to her. Clementine is frustrated, knowing that he is keeping something from her but with no way to find out what it is. For her part, Clementine desperately wants a chance to do something useful. She misses teaching, but it isn't something a countess is permitted to do. When she finally finds something she can do, it runs up against Heath's secret.

I liked the development of the relationship between Heath and Clementine. They had much in common, and it was easy to see them falling for each other. As they grew closer, the sparks between them grew hotter, and I loved seeing them finally give in to them. They realized and admitted their love for each other fairly quickly, but pride kept them from sharing their secrets. I ached for Heath, who felt guilty about keeping Clementine in the dark, but thought that it was the only way to protect her. He made some boneheaded mistakes because of it, some of which put Clementine in danger after all. I was frustrated with Clementine, who knew that Heath must have reasons for forbidding her to do what she did, but her pride wouldn't let her give in. When she decided to take matters into her own hands she only made matters worse. I was glued to the pages at the end when she discovered her mistake and took steps to fix it. I laughed out loud at her methods and cheered when they were successful. There was one last obstacle to clear, and it was a vital one. The final confrontation was intense, and I loved seeing the significant part that Clementine played in it. It was satisfying to see the bad guy finally get what was coming to him. The epilogue was great.

The secondary characters were also good. James Maccoish was quite a character. There was no doubt about his love for both his granddaughters, nor about how well he knew them. I thoroughly enjoyed his part at the end, from his support of Heath to his glee during the epilogue. I also liked Heath's sister Olive. She has good reason to be bitter about men, and I wasn't sure about her at the beginning. But she turned out to be a terrific friend to Clementine. I especially enjoyed her scene at Lady Guthrie's tea. I am curious about Clementine's cousin Madeline, and hope that she will have her own story soon. ( )