Fiona Fairchild was raised in Italy and she remains unwed at age 25. Her father, fearing she would never marry, set up a betrothal to a son of a friend from America. Fiona comes to England to see if she can find a man she wants to marry versus one chosen for her. She is desperate because the will also stipulates that she must marry first, or the money set aside for the dowries of her three stepsisters will be put in trust until she does marry.
Years ago, Fiona saw Jonathon engage in a tryst at the Effington Christmas Eve party and she fantasized about being that woman. This tryst is something Jonathon has made an annual event. He finds a willing woman and joins her in the library for torrid kisses, stopping short of scandal. This year, his friend, Oliver Northcort, who happens to be Fiona’s cousin, sends her to the library. He thinks Fiona would make the perfect bride for Jonathon, who has always claimed he wants intelligence, beauty and challenge in his future wife. When Fiona confronts Jonathon and proposes marriage, Jonathon assumes this is a joke from Oliver. Thinking her real situation sounds far-fetched; he agrees to marry her as a way to get back at Oliver. He is stumped when he realizes that she is serious and now he has to get out of this mistaken betrothal.
When Fiona won’t accept money to make up the dowries and remove her requirement for marriage, Jonathon proposes a business opportunity that will make her rich instead. This proposition involves collaboration on an erotic myth with Jonathon’s words and Fiona’s drawings of naked men. When she was in Italy, she studied art and has a portfolio of everything from fruits to landscapes to statues to live naked men. This ruse provides the time to get to know each other and become friends while preparing the manuscript. They also fall in love. But they complicate things by denying their feelings.
Reviews with the most likes.
There are no reviews for this book. Add yours and it'll show up right here!
