Lady Beatrice Ashdowne-Delacourte has been devastated by the news of her mother's infidelity. Since London is abuzz with half-truths about her real father's paternity, she wants nothing more than to get away and hide, so when the opportunity arises to escort her daughter to a midsummer house party in the Wiltshire countryside, she agrees with alacrity. Perhaps she might vicariously restore her faith in romance by watching the young people. Major Owen Kenton is suffering from a large case of ennui. A widower without purpose since an injury ended his military career, he wishes to recapture the magic of those glory days and be needed again, or have the time to take a nap. When his daughter decides to attend a house party in his son's stead, he accompanies in the hopes of dancing a waltz himself... if a lady can look past the scars left behind by the war, for he misses that intimate connection. When they both find themselves at the heart of the maze after a rout, the attraction simmering between them ignites into a scandalous coupling. Confessions and secrets follow that bring them closer, yet they want very different things from life that might prevent a romance. When an ill-advised horse race at the end of the party is conducted that has Owen's life in peril, everything is suddenly thrown into sharp relief with heart-stopping detail. Only they can decide what they truly want from there. Romancing Miss Quill Pursuing Mr. Mattingly Courting Lady Yeardly Teasing Miss Atherby - Novella Guarding the Widow Pellingham Bedeviling Major Kenton Charming Miss Standish