Having lost her mother in a tragic accident one stormy night, Miss Alison Clearwell was sent to a ladies’ academy by her grief-stricken father, who had abandoned his daughter and left for Jamaica to seek his fortune, promising to return to Alison in time for her to be launched into polite society. Her father is now a rich man, however, complications soon arise which prevent him from coming to London, and which force poor Alison to leave behind all that is familiar to her and to travel to St Petersburg, where her father has arranged for her to stay with his brother.
The last thing Alison wanted to do is travel to a distant land, but she knows that she must do as her father tells her. So, packing her bags, she sets sail for Russia, unaware of the dangers which she is about to face on a journey that could change her life forever.
Aboard the shop which is taking her to Russia, a fire breaks out and Alison is forced to seek refuge in an inn where she comes to the attention of a group of men, whose leader, Prince Nikolai, is determined to have his wicked way with her. Forcing himself into her room, Nikolai terrifies Alison, who wanting to protect herself and keep herself from harm, lies to the Russian and tells him that her fiancé is next door and he would be furious if he found his bride’s life and virtue being endangered!
Lord Francis Buckingham is taken aback when he overhears Alison’s charade, but he will not let an innocent young woman be compromised, and he barges into her rule and confronts Prince Nikolai, who as the brother of the czar’s mistress, is not a man to be crossed – especially when Francis has been engaged by the British government to get close to the Czar and deliver important documents which could prevent the downfall of Russia.
Francis is not about to endanger this mission, so he realizes that he must act as Alison’s betrothedl – despite the fact that he’s really engaged to her best friend! But as the two are thrown in close proximity together, they soon realize that they’d much rather their pretend kisses gave way to the real thing…
Sandra Heath is always fabulous and readers will not be able to resist this wonderfully romantic tale. Rich, atmospheric, evocative and totally engrossing, Lord Buckingham’s Bride is another unmissable Regency romance from one of the genre’s top writers!