A courtship of convenience between a young gentleman and his best friend's sister leads to secrets being uncovered and hearts being awakened.
When Charles Putney receives a strange letter from Marianne Hillis, naturally he heeds her request for help. What he does not expect is to find her in such dire need that there's nothing to be done save to carry her off to his parents home in order to protect her.
Marianne Hillis is not used to having to rely on others, but when the people who are supposed to care for her end up behaving like her captors, the only person she can think of to help her is her absent brother's best friend, Charlie. At first, he's her knight in shining armour, but as the realities of their situation begin to sink in, Marianne realises that she might have jumped from the frying pan to the fire - and dragged poor Mr Putney with her.
To save them from a scandal, a fake courtship is created that only gets more complicated as time passes by. Meddling friends and mercenary enemies make it harder and harder for Charles and Marianne to back out of their situation with grace, and it is only the continued absence of Gordon Hillis that saves them from being forced to tie the knot.
Would it be so bad, though? Charles has never fallen in love with anyone, and Marianne doesn't believe the emotion exists. Successful marriages have been built on companionship, mutual esteem and solid respect - anything but love. Their families might think it's a marvellous idea, but they both have their doubts about the situation. Marianne does not want to trap a good man into an unwanted marriage, and Charles does not want to deprive a lively young woman of her Happily Ever After.
The decision, however, might not lie in their hands. As time runs out and their enemies attempt to steal away their prize, Charles and Marianne will have to decide what is more preferable: an unwanted match, or an unwanted scandal.
Genre: Historical
When Charles Putney receives a strange letter from Marianne Hillis, naturally he heeds her request for help. What he does not expect is to find her in such dire need that there's nothing to be done save to carry her off to his parents home in order to protect her.
Marianne Hillis is not used to having to rely on others, but when the people who are supposed to care for her end up behaving like her captors, the only person she can think of to help her is her absent brother's best friend, Charlie. At first, he's her knight in shining armour, but as the realities of their situation begin to sink in, Marianne realises that she might have jumped from the frying pan to the fire - and dragged poor Mr Putney with her.
To save them from a scandal, a fake courtship is created that only gets more complicated as time passes by. Meddling friends and mercenary enemies make it harder and harder for Charles and Marianne to back out of their situation with grace, and it is only the continued absence of Gordon Hillis that saves them from being forced to tie the knot.
Would it be so bad, though? Charles has never fallen in love with anyone, and Marianne doesn't believe the emotion exists. Successful marriages have been built on companionship, mutual esteem and solid respect - anything but love. Their families might think it's a marvellous idea, but they both have their doubts about the situation. Marianne does not want to trap a good man into an unwanted marriage, and Charles does not want to deprive a lively young woman of her Happily Ever After.
The decision, however, might not lie in their hands. As time runs out and their enemies attempt to steal away their prize, Charles and Marianne will have to decide what is more preferable: an unwanted match, or an unwanted scandal.
Genre: Historical
Used availability for Elizabeth Bramwell's Anything but Love