One Good Gentleman

In a narrow lane off Edinburgh’s illustrious Charlotte Square, stands a town house that is not quite as impressive as nearby residences, but remains a place of distinction. An air of quiet dignity is maintained by the courtyard that fronts the street, while privacy is assured by a wrought-iron gateway. This house is Lady Peddington’s School for Young Ladies and is owned and run by Lady Honoria Peddington. Girls fortunate enough to attend the academy are instructed in all aspects of proper comportment with emphasis on the importance of a pleasing demeanor and appearance, grace and good manners, the skills a lady needs to run a large, well-to-do household, and – of course - the necessity and advantages of an impeccable reputation. Scandal, the girls are warned, must be avoided at all costs. Lady Peddington’s own reputation is the finest, and all Edinburgh considers her above reproach. She is especially well-loved by the affluent merchants and lesser gentry who live on the fringes of the city’s New Town where she operates her school. These clients appreciate her knack at finding affluent husbands for their daughters. No one suspects that her knowledge of men comes from the long-ago days when she wasn’t Lady Honoria Peddington, but simply Honey Pedding who ran a well-doing Glasgow brothel. Those skills, though secret, still serve her well, for when her school’s famed graduation balls fail to secure suitable husbands for some of her more high-spirited girls, other gentlemen come to the fore, eager to accept these gems as pampered mistresses. So, however a girl’s heart might lean, Lady Peddington’s School for Young Ladies guarantees happiness for all.

Miss Emelia Glasbarr has sunk her every resource into finishing school in order to find a husband. When a man finally pursues her, it turns out he wants Emilia for less savory purposes than marriage—and he has warned off all other men. Her only hope is Robert Banbrook. But can a man twice jilted and still in love with his first fiancé put aside revenge to save her?