The Autumn Bride
by Anne Gracie
Buy on AmazonAbigail Chantry, her sister Jane and friends Damaris and Daisy attempt to survive in London after a series of misfortunes. When Abigail explores a mysterious house near their lodgings, she is startled to find an old women left ill and uncared for inside. Lady Beatrice has been taken advantage of by unscrupulous servants, but the four young women resolve to help her, and soon her condition improves. But when Lady Beatrice’s nephew Max, Lord Davenham, unexpectedly returns from ten years in the East Indies he has trouble accepting his aunt’s new “nieces.”
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"After rescuing her abducted sister and two others from a brothel, Abigail Chantry loses her position as a governess. The four women must figure out how to survive with limited skills and no connections. When they discover their elderly neighbor, Lady Bea, is basically a prisoner to her servants, they take over her care and the household. Their actions seem suspicious to Max, Lady Bea’s nephew — so Max and Abigail, who are clearly meant for each other, must overcome mistrust and other obstacles to find happiness. Anne Gracie shines in this historical romance filled with clever plotting and rich, layered characters — especially luminescent Abigail."
NPR Books We Love — 2013 · apps.npr.org