Shy and stammering Meg Burton-Smythe has spent the whole of her life living on the fringes of local society. SheтАЩs more comfortable with her daydreams than she is with people. But when a dashing, golden-haired hero rides to her rescue one morning, she dares to hope that her dreams might finally come true. ThereтАЩs only one problem: her handsome rescuer is the son of her fatherтАЩs sworn enemy.
Ivo Beresford doesnтАЩt believe in clinging to the past. Freshly returned from a lengthy grand tour, heтАЩs looking to the future, eager to spearhead the building of a new railway extension in Somersetshire. But an unexpected encounter with Miss Burton-Smythe, the isolated only daughter of his parentsтАЩ oldest foe, sets the past and the future colliding.
Resolved to put ancient grudges to restтАФat least where innocent young ladies are concernedтАФIvo encourages lonely Meg to embark on a secret acquaintance. After all, what harm can a friendship do? It isnтАЩt as though thereтАЩs any danger of the two of them falling in loveтАж
USA Today┬аbestselling author┬аMimi Matthews┬аwrites both historical nonfiction and award-winning Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in┬аPublishers Weekly,┬аLibrary Journal,┬аBooklist,┬аKirkus, and┬аShelf Awareness,┬аand her articles have been featured on the┬аVictorian Web, the┬аJournal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at┬аBUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a retired Andalusian dressage horse, a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.