Love with the proper husband

Gwendolyn ran away to America when she was 16 to avoid becoming a penniless relation after her father dies. In British tradition, since her father had no male heirs, his estate was left to Gwendolyn’s cousin. In America, Gwendoyln becomes a governess, albeit not a very good one. Five years later, she is summoned back to England to find out there has been a mistake. Seems her father left her a small inheritance that will become a significantly larger one should she marry on Earl of Pennington.

Gwen has no interest in being married. Marriage and love are traps, and men are stupid imbeciles not to be trusted. She bases this attitude on the fact that her mother died trying to have a male heir, she got disinherited because she was a female offspring and the married fathers of her charges used to hit on her.

The Earl of Pennington turns out to be Marcus Holcroft, who himself has just found out that he will have to forfeit his entire fortune should he not marry Miss Townsend by his thirtieth birthday, an even only three months away. Marcus has never been in love, but he doesn’t despise the idea. It’s just the few times he’s actually felt himself going over the brink, the woman in question picked someone else. Rather than become a bitter love sucks type of hero, Marcus just figures that’s his luck and still holds out hope that it may happen some day.