The Betrothal

     The two cousins could not be more opposite.  Louisa Elliot nurtures a defiant spirit, while Lady Meg never dares to rebel or speak out.  Orphaned as children they were raised by their overbearing grandmother who has definite plans for them.  The cousins are distraught when the countess decrees they shall be wed--Louisa to a timorous squire and Meg to the haughty Duke of Hargrove.  Louisa vows to rescue them from this fate.

 From the moment the duke, Meg's intended, frees Louisa from a hollow log, his heart is ensnared and his carefully honed life set awry. Rumors of financial ruin put about to aid the duke's capture of an enemy agent add credence to the misinformation Louisa gathers to discredit him and save her cousin.  Then Louisa discovers she loves the duke.

   Hargrove is forced to court Meg in order to see her spirited cousin. As Louisa's wedding date approaches, Hargrove decides to throw caution to the wind. Despite a tryst set with a French spy at his summer home, he invites the countess' party. Amidst madcap chases, nefarious dealings, and kidnappings, and despite mounting evidence that Hargrove is a traitor, Louisa risks all to prove his innocence.