England 1863; Years of England’s upper class believing him the most notorious scoundrel (Oxford American Dictionary - scoundrel: an unscrupulous villain; a mischievous person), Duke Adrian Fitzwalter never argued because he knew he could ride out the storm of scandals. Meeting his stepmothers newest companion had him wondering if he really was anything that resembled his reputation. Adrian couldn’t pull his attention away from the lovely Lady Hester Pimblett, she did not seem to realize her own attributes of honesty, diplomacy and even wit. How could she not act the way most women did, especially around him? With the arrival of Adrian’s half brother, Lady Hester began to wonder which of the two brothers really was the scoundrel of the family, although the Duke never denied any of the charges, his character did not seem true to form. The feeling she had around the younger Lord Elliot were much more in accordance to the reputation of the Dark Duke, how curious and intriguing.

Interesting to see just how far someone will go for the honor of family, and pride. How much one sacrifices for another, and the repercussions those decisions make on all parties included. Going into this story, you know right away what a honorable person Hester is (especially if you have read The Wastrel), but to see through the façade that Adrian portrays is almost too easy. The writing style gives every emotion its due, even the ones that are typically hard to convey, come through the pages of the book. This is an older Harlequin Historical, (1997) that I dug out to re-read. ( )