Series:
Lyon's Den (Book 99)
Orphaned heiress Miss Georgiana Frampton is in a pickle.
Not only has she allowed the handsome, young naval
officer who'd asked her to marry him untoward liberties—which left her in a
delicate condition that will soon be impossible to hide—he's also had the bad
luck to drown at sea. Her aunt, disgusted at her behavior, has thrown her out
onto the street. When Georgiana's best friend suggests she should go to the
Lyon's Den to request help, off she goes. She's happy to bestow her fortune, or
maybe some of it, on a man who will give her unborn child a respectable name.
Having been taken advantage of before, she never intends to let her heart rule
her head again.
Captain Fitzwilliam Carlyon is a lesser scion of a ducal
household with no money to his name other than his military pay. When he finds
himself with pockets to let and heavily in debt after a night of injudicious
gambling at the Lyon's Den, he can hardly believe his luck when Mrs. Dove-Lyon
offers him a way out: the rich heiress he's longed for. With no intention of
anything other than funding the rakish lifestyle he considers his due, he leaps
at the chance to marry Georgiana, despite her looming problem.
But the best laid plans can go wildly astray, and their
feelings begin to become engaged, although both of them deny this to
themselves—until the night of the ball his sister has arranged for them.
Georgiana has a problem. After her father's death, she
went to live with her reclusive spinster aunt. Despite being socially
restricted, she managed to meet and fall for a young naval officer. Now she is
pregnant, and the young officer is lost at sea. When her aunt finds out, she
kicks Georgiana out of the house. Fortunately for Georgiana, she has come of
age and can claim her substantial inheritance. What she needs now is a husband
who will give her child a name. At her friend Fanny's suggestion, she goes to
Mrs. Dove-Lyon for help.
Fitz Carlyon is a British soldier recently returned from
duty in Cornwall. Though related to a duke, his only income is his army pay.
After a night of gambling at the Lyon's Den, his extensive losses bring him to
Mrs. Dove-Lyon's attention. His relief is evident when she offers him a way out
of his problem - marriage to a wealthy heiress in need of a husband. He jumps
at the chance.
I liked both Georgiana and Fitz. Though a bit naïve
because of her sheltered life, Georgiana has a good head on her shoulders. Her
father trained her well in the family business, and she has no trouble standing
up for herself. I loved her honest insistence that Fitz knows her circumstances
before they marry. She insists that the marriage be in name only. She won't
allow her emotions to take the lead again. Fitz is fine with her rules. He
intends to continue his rakish lifestyle.
Neither expects to discover that they actually like each
other. Their time together shows that they have more in common than they
expected, including a simmering attraction. Fitz finds that his former
activities no longer hold the appeal they once did. Instead, Georgiana
fascinates him, and his feelings for her grow. He decides he wants to woo her,
and worries that he won't succeed. I liked how he supported her with his family
and her aunt. Georgiana realizes that her previous relationship was more infatuation
than love as her feelings for Fitz change. Each is wary of confessing their
feelings, afraid they won't be returned. The scene at the ball was terrific as
both finally let go of their fears.
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