Miss Jane Porter, is a teacher at Miss Emery’s establishment for young ladies, a teacher of decorum, who had a fall from grace years ago. Years ago, Miss Porter was Miss Miranda Mabberly….. Miranda Mabberly, a rich London heiress, poised to marry the rich and title Lord Oxley. Although Miranda is repulsed at her betrothal to Lord Oxley, Miranda's wealthy parents regard the upcoming marriage as an entree into society. Fate intervenes when playboy Lord Jack Tremont plants a kiss on Miranda during a night out at the opera in full view of the society mavens. Having mistaken Miranda for his mistress, Jack has unknowingly plunged himself and Miranda into scandal. When Lord Oxley calls off the wedding, Miranda's reputation is in ruins and she is disinherited and abandoned by her parents. With nowhere else to go, Miranda beseeches her former teacher, Miss Emery, for a teaching position at her school for girls in Bath, England. Miss Emery agrees to hire Miranda on the condition that she changes her name to disassociate herself from the scandal involving herself and Lord Tremont. Miranda Mabberly becomes Miss Jane Porter, teacher of decorum.
Lord Jack Tremont, mad Jack, a rake beyond reform regrets one mistake from his ‘rake’ days….Miss Miranda Mabberly, the girl he ruined by kiss, and when he wants to make amends he realizes the girl is dead. Dead. Not even a chance to atone for his sins.
Nine years later, Lord Jack Tremont arrives at Miss Emery’s school in order to transport his niece back home after she is expelled. There as fates would have it he runs in to a teacher, Miss Jane Porter….. a spinsterish teacher who is hauntingly familiar to him.
Miranda and Jack's worlds collide once again when Miranda escorts via carriage three of her students who are making the trip home to Kent. When a fierce storm forces the women to take refuge at Thistleton Park, a gloomy estate in Sussex, Miranda is shocked to discover that the owner is none other than Lord Jack Tremont. Equally shocked to have Miss Jane Porter and her three young charges as houseguests, Lord Jack attempts to send the women on their way, to no avail. Tremont is all too aware that danger surrounds Thistleton Park, as evidenced by the mysterious disappeareance/presumed death of his elderly aunt. Soon, Miranda discovers that her three charges are playing matchmaker between herself and Lord Tremont. Although Miranda knows that she has no future with a rake like Lord Tremont, she finds herself falling under Jack's spell as danger and intrigue threatens their budding relationship.
Throw into the mix a mad dead aunt, a nosy neighbor determined to hang Jack, a smuggling racquet, all the humor coming of misplaced attempts at matchmaking and you have a thoroughly entertaining story…..It would not be fair to judge the story by the character sketches of hero and heroine, it is the entire mix of secondary character and circumstantial humor and a little of the present – past shuffling that makes this a thorough entertainer. As always Boyle makes you laugh a little all the way to the end. Sort of like watching a romantic comedy like Sweet home Alabama on a Saturday afternoon.
I would give it a 7.5/10. Very very good for a light read but not exceptional.
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