With his deceased father's woodworking business now failing, Edward Steele will do anything to see its return to prosperity, even if that means accepting work from the Coventry family far outside of Bath. His two goals? Finishing this new task swiftly and making as few acquaintances as possible. But such things are easier said than done, especially when the Coventry's daughter finds it necessary to spy on him at every turn. Marianne Coventry doesn't...

She's everything he's never wanted--until she was everything he needed. Tired of the smoke, the smog, and the spoiled females of London, Frederick Hawkins leaves the city behind and purchases an estate in Cornwall, longing to escape his mother's meddling--and to find a wife worthy of his devotion. When he happens upon a barefooted lady asleep on the beach and rescues her from the incoming tide, he believes he has found such a woman. But first impressions...