Mesalliance

Reluctantly, the Duke of Rockliffe is in the market for a wife. His requirements are simple; a lady who will occupy her position with well-bred grace and chaperone his sister, Nell – but who will not bore him to distraction. He is acquainted with a number of ladies who could fulfil the first two but none who can achieve the last.Whilst accompanying his sister to what he speedily comes to regard as the house-party from hell, he meets Adeline Kendrick - acid-tongued, no more than passably good-looking yet somehow alluring; a combination that Rockliffe finds infuriatingly provocative. Worse still, her relatives are quite deplorable - from Cousin Diana, a spoiled and ill-natured beauty, to manipulative and sadistic Uncle Richard. As a prospective bride, therefore, Adeline is out of the question. Until, that is, a bizarre turn of events cause the Duke to make what the Polite World world will call a mésalliance.First published January 1, 1990 The Duke of Rockliffe is thirty-six years old, head of his house and responsible for his young sister. He is therefore under some pressure to choose a suitable bride. Unfortunately, due mainly to her dreadful relatives, the only lady he feels at all inclined to share his life with is not suitable at all. But will he choose to make a mésalliance?