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The Sensible Courtship
THEY AGREED ON JUST ONE THING- TO MARRYANYONE BUT EACH OTHER
Lord Richard Devlin was looking for a meek wife to worship him as lord and master while leaving him free to pursue the pleasures of a single life even as a married man.
Lady Francesca Waringham was searching for an adoring husband who would put her on a pedestal, thereby allowing her to enjoy her cherished freedom and independence.
The splendid list of guests assembled at the great estate of Hockleigh was clearly a perfect hunting field for both of them- if only they could keep out of each other's hair... and out of each other's hearts...
Lord Richard Devlin was looking for a meek wife to worship him as lord and master while leaving him free to pursue the pleasures of a single life even as a married man.
Lady Francesca Waringham was searching for an adoring husband who would put her on a pedestal, thereby allowing her to enjoy her cherished freedom and independence.
The splendid list of guests assembled at the great estate of Hockleigh was clearly a perfect hunting field for both of them- if only they could keep out of each other's hair... and out of each other's hearts...
220 pages, Paperback
First published August 3, 1982
16 people want to read
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June 25, 2020
I read this a few years back and reread it last night
library still not providing books and have spent too much since pandemic on feeding my regency habit
the premise of this plot had so much romantic tension from the first pages that like the older regencies it was the mise en scene rather than sex that provided the impetus. The two principal characters had met five years previously and had instantly known they were a perfect match. The heroine would probably have lost herself to the hero [she was a free thinker] if they had not been interrupted. the hero was aware of her danger as he was departing on the morrow for his grand adventure. However at 17 and 22 they were both afraid of their instant bonding and parted. They meet again five years later at a grand house party, the hero having returned home from wild travels especially in American west. Instant adulation of the ton makes him uncomfortable but he has decided to marry and settle. Devlin and Francesca pick each other's marriage choice out and make a wager. As the tension between them remains so high Devlin will seek her after marriage for the wildness she will provide; she may take him for passion he provides. They force betrothals on semi willing partners and until the very end the reader could keep kicking the couch. Finally Devlin and Francesca both realize that their lives apart have just been existing, not living, and in the final pages they get it together. That scene is worth the price of admission as it mirrors their first encounter but now both have come to realize there has not been a single person during their separation that has touched them as they do each other. it is a sighing yet frustrating romance with an abduction, a seducing widow, a young innocent who draws, and a botanist. Fun parts were the mustangs that Devlin brings back from America, a black stallion, a palamino, and a pinto, all Native American stock which is initially scoffed at by the stuffy hunting crowd. The houseparty is the first for 'Cesca's best friend Sarah who has married a duke. If you want a romance that dances around the edges of desire creating fantasies for both h/h and yourself, this is a good read.
I supposed you could read the first fifty and last fifty pages if you get antsy.
library still not providing books and have spent too much since pandemic on feeding my regency habit
the premise of this plot had so much romantic tension from the first pages that like the older regencies it was the mise en scene rather than sex that provided the impetus. The two principal characters had met five years previously and had instantly known they were a perfect match. The heroine would probably have lost herself to the hero [she was a free thinker] if they had not been interrupted. the hero was aware of her danger as he was departing on the morrow for his grand adventure. However at 17 and 22 they were both afraid of their instant bonding and parted. They meet again five years later at a grand house party, the hero having returned home from wild travels especially in American west. Instant adulation of the ton makes him uncomfortable but he has decided to marry and settle. Devlin and Francesca pick each other's marriage choice out and make a wager. As the tension between them remains so high Devlin will seek her after marriage for the wildness she will provide; she may take him for passion he provides. They force betrothals on semi willing partners and until the very end the reader could keep kicking the couch. Finally Devlin and Francesca both realize that their lives apart have just been existing, not living, and in the final pages they get it together. That scene is worth the price of admission as it mirrors their first encounter but now both have come to realize there has not been a single person during their separation that has touched them as they do each other. it is a sighing yet frustrating romance with an abduction, a seducing widow, a young innocent who draws, and a botanist. Fun parts were the mustangs that Devlin brings back from America, a black stallion, a palamino, and a pinto, all Native American stock which is initially scoffed at by the stuffy hunting crowd. The houseparty is the first for 'Cesca's best friend Sarah who has married a duke. If you want a romance that dances around the edges of desire creating fantasies for both h/h and yourself, this is a good read.
I supposed you could read the first fifty and last fifty pages if you get antsy.
Displaying 1 of 1 review