The Earl's Forbidden Ward (Harlequin Historical #1830)

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Synopsis

Peyton Ramsden, the Earl of Dursley, spent some time in the diplomatic corps, but after inheriting the title, he retired from that life to devote himself to matters closer to home. However, that doesn't stop his old boss, Lord Brimley, from approaching him with a problem involving one Tessa Branscombe, the daughter of the English ambassador to Russia. Her father has recently died and she and her sisters are just returning to England. The home office believes that she may have in her possession a list of names of revolutionaries who wish to overthrow the czar. In order to avert war, they must retrieve the list before the Russian agents who are also looking for it, so Brimley has come up with a scheme to do just that. He's created a fake codicil to Tessa's father's will, naming Peyton as guardian to Tessa and her sisters, which will give him full access to her home to search for the letter. Peyton isn't entirely pleased to be put in this position, but placing loyalty to his country above all else, he agrees. Tessa turns out to be a lovely temptation that's hard to resist, and soon he begins falling for her. But if Tessa discovers the truth of how he came to be in their lives, she might not forgive him. Not to mention, the Russians are dangerous foes who are willing to kill for the information they believe Tessa has, placing both their lives in peril.

After spending most of her life in Russia with her father, Tessa Branscombe is returning to England feeling a bit adrift. Still she's determined to make a new life for herself and her three younger sisters. Then a complete stranger shows up at her door, claiming to be their new guardian. At first, she's skeptical of the codicil to her father's will, but when all seems to be in order, she feels she has no choice but to accept Peyton into their lives. He and his aunt offer her a season, and while that wasn't something that she'd ever planned for, she can't deny that all the balls and parties are great fun, especially when attending on the arm of her handsome guardian. After her home is ransacked, Peyton confesses the existence of the list, and although Tessa doesn't believe she has such a document, she eagerly helps him search for it in hopes of keeping her family safe. But she didn't count on an old friend betraying her or their lives being threatened. Along the way, she and Peyton begin to fall for one another and he proposes, but even if they can elude the danger posed by the Russians, Tessa isn't sure that the untitled daughter of a diplomat is worthy of marrying an earl.

Review

The Earl's Forbidden Ward is the second book in Bronwyn Scott's Ramsden Brothers series. In this one, we have the eldest Ramsden brother, Peyton, fourth Earl of Dursley, paired with Tessa, the daughter of the English ambassador to Russia who has just recently passed. Before becoming the earl, Peyton was a diplomat and sometimes spy for the crown. Lord Brimley, the man he worked for in the home office, calls him in one day, telling him of a secret list of Russian revolutionaries that Tessa's father was purported to be compiling before he died. They think that Tessa may be in possession of it now, and that Russians loyal to the Czar may be coming after her. Since she and her sisters are now alone in the world and possibly in need of protection, and the home office needs a way to search her home without raising suspicions, Peyton's former boss comes up with the scheme of creating a false codicil to her father's will, naming Peyton as Tessa's and her sisters' guardian. With his Aunt Lily's help, Peyton looks after all the girls, while giving Tessa her season and also looking for the purported documents that could help to avert a war. The more time they spend together, the closer they become, until Peyton starts to have real feelings for Tessa, and she feels the same. But with the Russians hot on the trail of the list, too, they both could be in danger. Not to mention, with Tessa being a mere diplomat's daughter and not of aristocratic blood, she feels she might not be the right match for an earl, and if she learns the truth about Peyton's deception, she might not forgive him for lying to her.

Tessa lost her mother nearly a decade earlier when she died shortly after the birth of Tessa's youngest sister. As she grew up, Tessa became indispensable to her father, acting as his hostess at diplomatic functions, so she's well versed on the politics of diplomacy. She has spent most of her life in Russia, so moving back to England with her sisters in tow after their father's death has been a bit of a shock. She's an independent-minded young woman, though, who is determined to finish raising her sisters in a way that would have made her parents proud. When Sergei, an old friend from Russia who had designs on marrying Tessa and who she once had a crush on, shows up in London with some other Russian diplomats, it's like having a taste of the country she used to call home. Then, out of the blue, Peyton, a complete stranger shows up at her door, claiming that her father added a codicil to his will, naming him their guardian. Tessa is immediately suspicious, but when the paperwork seems to be in order, she feels she has no choice but to comply. Peyton and his aunt are insistent upon giving Tessa the season she never had. Although that was never a priority for her, she can't deny that she enjoys attending the balls and parties on her handsome new guardian's arm and soon they become lovers as well. After her house is ransacked, though, Tessa knows something isn't right. Peyton eventually confesses about the list, so that they can search for it together, and also about the danger possibly posed by Sergei and his comrades. Tessa can scarcely believe her old friend could be so duplicitous, but her instincts tell her to trust Peyton. As they make inroads on their search, an attempt is made on Peyton's life and he later disappears, leaving Tessa to save the day. I like that Tessa is a smart cookie who figures out a lot on her own. She's pretty logical and not particularly reactionary, which was nice, too. I also enjoyed the twist ending where she comes to Peyton's rescue, but instead of running headlong into danger like some romance heroines might, she does so in a smart way.

Peyton has never given his heart to anyone and instead has simply been playing the rake. When his old boss in the diplomatic corps asks for his help, he's a bit reluctant to take on four wards, but feeling that his duty to country must come first, he agrees in hopes of finding the supposed list to avert a war. When he discovers how comely the eldest Branscombe daughter is, though, he thinks it might not be so bad after all, except that she turns out to be a bit of a firecracker. It's not easy convincing her of the fake codicil, nor is the independent miss particularly amenable to the measures he puts in place to try to suss out the list and to keep her and her sisters safe. However, after her house is broken into and trashed, she starts to see reason, especially after he confesses a part of what's going on. Along the way, Peyton starts to have real feelings for Tessa, and after they become lovers, he immediately offers marriage, even though she initially turns him down. Gradually the Russians' plan unravels, but even after the danger has passed, Tessa doesn't entirely feel worthy of marrying a peer and when she learns that Peyton deceived her all along, he definitely has some explaining to do. I liked Peyton and thought he was a good hero. He might not have been too keen on having wards, but he treats Tessa and her sisters very well, playing the big brother to the younger ones. He's also a real gentleman for offering marriage and for doing his best to put Tessa's concerns about wedding him to rest.

It's been a number of years since I read the first Ramsden Brothers book, so I barely remembered it at all. However, it turned out to not be an issue. Peyton's younger brother, Paine, and his wife, Julia, (Notorious Rake, Innocent Lady) appeared, but they don't play big enough roles that I needed much of a recap. Peyton's other brother, Crispin, plays a little larger role, and his is the last book of the series, Untamed Rogue, Scandalous Mistress. I finished The Earl's Forbidden Ward with somewhat mixed feelings. The earlier parts of the book weren't always holding my attention well. Not having a strong knowledge of Russian history, the political bits about Russia somewhat confused me, but luckily they were mostly covered in a few pages. I also felt like the setup for the story wasn't as strong as it could have been, and that Peyton and Tessa's characterizations could have gone a little deeper. Despite Tessa being a virgin, there is zero pain for her during their first love scene, which just wasn't believable to me. Their relationship, at first, felt more lusty than loving to me, but I admit that the emotional connection did improve as the story continued. Once some more exciting things started to happen, I became more engaged as well. All those events led to a pretty well-done denouement that I enjoyed. So I'd say that the story started a bit weaker, more in the three-star range, but ended stronger, more in the four-star range, which is why I settled on 3.5 stars. Both Peyton and Tessa were good characters who didn't rub me the wrong way. Although their story wasn't perfect, it was very readable and not bad, so overall, this was a pretty good read.

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Themes

Babies & Children
Opposite Sides of the Track