Lady in waiting

The odious Baron Rutherford has made it very clear to Clara Mayfield that she will either marry him or her family will be ruined, never imagining that she would escape by running away. Pretending to be a friend of one of her family's servants, Clara secures a position as a housemaid in the employ of the reclusive Earl of Ashworth. At first Clara is convinced she has found a safe refuge. But when she starts having certain feelings for her new employer, which may be reciprocated, she realizes that she just may be in another kind of danger. Romance readers whose must-have checklists include brooding heroes tortured by their past and plucky Cinderella heroines unafraid to break the rules will definitely find Tremayne's impressive debut simply irresistible.--Charles, John Copyright 2018 Booklist

[DEBUT] London society wants nothing to do with Clara Mayfield. Her sister's scandalous runaway marriage to a tradesman has ruined Clara's own chances of an advantageous union. In an effort to reestablish the family in society, Clara's parents arrange to marry her off to the abusive but nevertheless socially acceptable Baron Rutherford. On the eve of the wedding, a desperate Clara flees with the help of her maid, taking up a position as a servant at an unknown gentleman's country estate. William Halstead has unexpectedly inherited the Earldom of Ashworth after the tragic deaths of his father, elder brother, and brother-in-law. Grief stricken and suffering from trauma after the carriage accident that killed his family, William retreats to his country home, where he becomes increasingly drawn to a pretty new maidservant, never guessing her true identity as the runaway Mayfield heiress. Verdict While the historical aspects are at times thin and unconvincing, this slow-paced Victorian-era romance will please readers with its gradual relationship development, satisfying declaration, and love scenes.-Lindsay Morton, P.L. of Science, San Francisco © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.