Laura Millbank has lived all her life as a poor relation, and now her only prospects are to become a companion to an elderly lady.  But she has always dreamed of visiting Venice and decides that she will settle down to her lot in life once she has been there.  Thus her meager inheritance has been spent on this vacation where she meets two people—a frightening German hussar and the far more congenial Sir Nicholas Grenville.  When the latter is challenged to a duel by the former and loses, he appears to be on the point of death.  So he marries her so she will not have to be a companion—but Sir Nicholas does not die and his beautiful lady friend back in Somerset is not going to countenance having this upstart getting her hands on what she feels is rightfully hers...

Why does the duel take place in the first place?  What will Laura do when she discovers that she actually has two suitors?  What does Sir Nicholas see in the odious Augustine?  All these questions and more will be answered if you read this engaging novel by one of my very favorite Regency romance writers. You always get a bit more with a Sandra Wilson book and in this one there is Venice to enjoy as well as the Somerset Levels and the story outlined above.  Expect some smaller print as this is longer than the average Regency.  Pages turn rapidly, and for all this is not a gothic romance it reminded me in many ways of the works of writers like Victoria Holt which I devoured in my early youth.  If you like plenty of story and something a bit different then this ought to suit.