This was such a fun read with great characters. I adored Cora and Leo! It was my first time reading Harper St. George and it won't be my last. The Stranger I Wed is now available!
Cora Dove and her sisters’ questionable legitimacy has been the lifelong subject of New York’s gossipmongers and a continual stain on their father’s reputation. So when the girls each receive a generous, guilt-induced dowry from their dying grandmother, the sly Mr. Hathaway vows to release their funds only if Cora and her sisters can procure suitable husbands—far from New York. For Cora, England is a fresh start. She has no delusions of love, but a husband who will respect her independence? That’s an earl worth fighting for.
Enter: Leopold Brendon, Earl of Devonworth, a no-nonsense member of Parliament whose plan to pass a Public Health bill that would provide clean water to the working class requires the backing of a wealthy wife. He just never expected to crave Cora’s touch or yearn to hear her thoughts on his campaign—or to discover that his seemingly perfect bride protects so many secrets...
But secrets have a way of bubbling to the surface, and Devonworth has a few of his own. With their pasts laid bare and Cora’s budding passion for women’s rights taking a dangerous turn, they’ll learn the true cost of losing their heart to a stranger—and that love is worth any price.
Spring 1878
Title-hunting was not for the faint of heart. The occupation required a great
deal of analysis, focus, and attention to detail, three qualities Cora Dove had
no choice but to perfect. One had to be strategic when choosing the ideal
candidate for a husband. Everyone knew that the perfect groom for a title
hunter was a fortune hunter. However, it simply wasn't that easy. Too
impoverished and the wealth gained from the marriage would drain away like
water through a sieve.
Cora was determined that the man she married not be a gambler, at least not to
excess. The likelihood of finding an aristocrat who did not gamble at all would
be akin to finding a fish that did not swim. There were other considerations,
too. In fact, she had made a list. Too young and he'd likely be brash and
unruly. Too old and he could hold outdated ideas about a wife's role. Too
temperamental or too wicked in his pursuits and he would be difficult to
manage. Too attractive and heartache would inevitably ensue-this one had been
the last to go on the list. Cora quite liked good-looking men and wouldn't have
minded marrying one. Her sister Jenny, however, who knew more than she about
the qualities of handsome men, had been insistent, so the condition had gone on
the list. Only a fool would aim for the highest title and leave it at that when
there were so many other considerations.
Cora was no fool. Not anymore. She had stepped off the steamer ship from New
York with her mother and Eliza last week with her mission at the forefront of
her mind. Find a titled husband and marry him by summer. Thankfully, she would
not face the task alone. Camille, Dowager Duchess of Hereford, had agreed to
act as a sort of agent to help the sisters find titled husbands.
"Camille, pardon my disbelief, but there can't possibly be suitors
here," Eliza, Cora's youngest sister, remarked, her brow furrowed in
distinct displeasure.
The three of them descended the steps of the train depot, umbrellas in hand to
combat the spring drizzle. The train stretched out behind them on the track,
belching steam into the cool air. They were in a small village-Cora had already
forgotten the name-not far from Camille's country estate in Oxfordshire. The
town was little more than a stop along the railroad, but it was quaint and
picturesque, as Cora was finding most English villages to be. They possessed a
charm lent to them by virtue of age that many of the industrial mill towns that
had sprung up back home didn't have. The buildings, made of either stone or
wattle and daub, had been standing for centuries longer than their brownstone
back in New York. There was a security in that permanence that she found
comforting.
"I quite like it," Cora said.
"As do I," Camille voiced her agreement.
Cora and her sisters had met Camille many years ago when Mr. Hathaway and Fanny
were still an item, though their relationship had been in its death throes.
Camille's father and Mr. Hathaway had finished some sort of business deal
together, and they had been invited to spend a week with the Bridwells at their
summer home. It had been an awkward week, and Cora now realized it was because
Mrs. Bridwell hadn't approved of their presence there, even though Mr. Bridwell
hadn't been above putting his company's profits ahead of what was socially
acceptable. Cora and Camille had spent most of the time together outdoors
swimming and playing on the rope swings. Thankfully, Camille remembered her and
had been a wonderful source of support when Cora had contacted her with the
marriage plan.
The duchess wasn't a proponent of the cash-for-class marriages that were
becoming so popular between American heiresses and impoverished noblemen. Her
own parents had all but auctioned her off to the highest title, and the
marriage had been deeply unhappy until the much older duke had died and set her
free. Now she was with Jacob Thorne, a man she loved. It had taken several
letters and a few telegrams before Cora had convinced Camille that this
marriage was what she wanted and that she was not being coerced by her mother.
It was her negligent sire who had made this sort of marriage necessary, but
Cora preferred not to dwell on that.
Instead, she devoted every waking moment to finding the perfect husband. She
had a journal specifically for the task that she had diligently filled with
notes about each man Camille proposed to her. She knew their ages, their
immediate family members, and how they spent their days. Perhaps more
importantly, she knew how their family had lost their own fortunes. That
crucial bit of information could be the difference between a comfortable future
and one spent scraping pennies.
Unlike the other American heiresses who came from new money families with
industrial interests that kept their pockets deep, Cora and her sisters were
illegitimate. They weren't marrying for mere social status, though that would
be a boon; they were marrying for the very survival of their small family.
"Then you can marry any gentleman who might reside here. I'll choose one
who lives in London." Eliza nodded her head in finality and Cora hid her
grin. If only it were that easy of a choice.
"I understand the conditions are not ideal," Camille said, leading
them around the muck and mud of the road to the higher-packed earth along the
edge. They didn't seem to be heading toward the center of town but in the other
direction along a narrow lane that followed the tracks before turning away.
"But being able to observe these men outside of normal social conditions
will give you rare insight. Since they don't know you yet and don't know that
you're watching, they'll be more inclined to be themselves. Once at the house
party, they'll all be on their best behavior, and you'll only see what they
allow you to see."
That was certainly true. Of the ten men Camille had invited to the upcoming
house party at Stonebridge Cottage, they had been able to observe five without
them being aware. First, they had gone to the Lakes, where they had discreetly
assessed two of their suitors who were participating in an angler tournament.
They were two of the most boring individuals Cora had ever encountered. Since
boredom hadn't made it onto her list, they had passed the test. Then, they had
gone to a lecture at the British Museum to locate a third who had been a bit
argumentative with the lecturer. She had drawn a line through his name. She
wouldn't countenance a rude husband. From there, they had quietly observed two
others at Hyde Park. Both were a bit snobbish in their bearing, so Cora had put
a question mark by their names. Today was their last jaunt before the house
party began early next week. They were here to watch a football game.
Excerpted from The Stranger I Wed by Harper St.
George Copyright © 2024 by Harper St. George. Excerpted by permission of
Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or
reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
