Married by Mistake

By signing in the wrong spot, Viscount Alford (Thomas) became the husband of Florence Washburn (Florrie) rather than just a proxy for his brother Kit. What a dilemma! He cannot stand her outgoing manner and her apparent dislike of him. She hates his rakish, dissolute ways and only remembers how he tormented her as a child. Well, this marriage must end and lawyers begin the task of annulment. But Florrie's father has other plans. He, along with Alford's father, decide these two will be a better pair then if Florrie marries Kit. Just the thing to give Alford a purpose in life! They both send the "children" out of London to a remote location until gossip dies down. Of course they send them to the same house where events conspire to keep them there! Chaos, fun, romance and mystery occur during this forced cohabitation. As each tries to drive the other away from the remote house (when Ol' Mort decides to arrive!), they actually begin to see each other in a different light. They also begin to care for one another and struggle to keep those feelings from surfacing. After all, Florrie will marry Kit and pursue a life as a diplomat's wife even though she feels Kit sees her more as a "sister" than lover, while Alford feels he must honor his brother's fiancé. But the mystery of the "Lady in White" and some possible illegal activities going on force them into each other's arms. Of course it all ends happily! Perhaps there is a sequel about Kit who remains unseen though this book. There is an intimate scene not normally found in Regencies but I found it tasteful and conducive to the story. Though fun and great reading, I did not give it a 5 since it didn't touch my heart - but I still recommend it highly.