2008-08-22 Estrangement and treason

Nathan Grey, the Earl of Lindsay, has been living without his wife for the last three years. Following the death of their young son Robbie their relationship deteriorated and Evelyn went to London and became a helper to Princess Mary. However, rumours of Evelyn's affairs with Lord Dunhill may have landed her in a great deal of trouble as a royal scandal is brewing and she may be implicated. In order to preserve his family's good name, Nathan abducts Evelyn from London and returns her to their country estate, Eastchurch. There Nathan and Evelyn have to get to know each other again, to come to terms with their shared history and Evelyn has to learn to deal with her distress over the death of Robbie. But someone has followed them to Eastchurch and someone may be plotting against their lives.

This was an enjoyable book with some tearjerker moments and amusing sideplay with the butler, Benson. Both Nathan and Evelyn were appealing characters, despite their faults, and their reconciliation felt believable. There were some inaccuracies in terms of dialogue for the period but nothing too grating and the overall impression of the book was positive. It highlighted the rather inequitable societal opinion about men and their mistresses versus women and their chastity and there were, for this reader at least, a few question marks over Nathan's future faithfulness to his wife, but it was overall a good read.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008