In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound.
From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address
an earl and curtsey before a prince — while other dictates of the ton
are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be
imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable
... but not too amiable.
Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. T he fourth of
eight siblings in her close-knit family, she has formed friendships
with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for
her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. She is simply
too deuced honest for that, too unwilling to play the romantic games
that captivate gentlemen.
Amiability is not a characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of
Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he intends to
shun both marriage and society — just as his callous father shunned
Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his
best friend's sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a
fake courtship, Simon can deter the mamas who parade their daughters
before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her
reputation soar.
The plan works like a charm — at first. But amid the glittering,
gossipy, cut-throat world of London's elite, there is only one
certainty: love ignores every rule ...
This week's book is Bridgerton: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn and we'll be meeting at Ye Olde Cocke on Wilmslow Road in Didsbury — contact us for details.
