Product Description

With the stunning sixth novel in her New York Times bestselling series, Sabrina Jeffries delivers a dazzling finale imbued with surprising revelations for headmistress Charlotte Harris and the young ladies of The School for Heiresses.

At eighteen, Charlotte Page made a life-altering mistake. She wronged a man in an impulsive act that she came to deeply regret, though it led her to her present life as Mrs. Charlotte Harris, owner of Mrs. Harris's School for Young Ladies. Unbeknownst to her, that man is now her anonymous benefactor, the mysterious "Cousin Michael." His masquerade began as preparation for a devastating revenge, but became a labor of love. Now Charlotte desperately needs his help. Can he save her from disaster as his real self without revealing the ugly secret behind his charade? Or will the mistakes of both their pasts tear them apart forever?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #59093 in Books
• Published on: 2009-06-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781416560821
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"A fast-paced, sexy romp...." -- Library Journal on Let Sleeping Rogues Lie

About the Author
By the time Sabrina Jeffries was eighteen, she'd eaten chicken heads and jellyfish, been chased by a baby elephant, seen countless cobras and pythons, had the entire series of rabies shots, and visited rain forests and rubber plantations. But that wasn't enough excitement for her; to escape her mundane life as a missionary's daughter, she read romance novels.

Now she writes romance novels, and her bestselling, award-winning tales of strong women and sexy, dangerous men have been translated all over the world. Although she now lives in North Carolina with her husband and son, her colorful life has given her plenty of inspiration for more novels.

Visit her website at www.sabrinajeffries.com.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Richmond, England
November 1824

Charlotte Harris, headmistress and owner of Mrs. Harris's School for Young Ladies, sat at her desk and reread -- twice -- the pleading letter she had composed to Cousin Michael, her anonymous benefactor.

Then she tore it up. What was the point of writing him, when every letter she sent to his solicitor was returned unopened?

She wiped her clammy hands on her skirt. He had to know what desperate straits the school was in -- he knew everything. And until six months ago, he had always told her everything he knew. But after she had pressed him so hard about his identity, he had ended their correspondence. There had not been a word from him since.

The hollow fear that gripped her so often these days made her stomach clench. All right, so perhaps he had good reason to be angry at her. She had agreed not to press him about his anonymity.

Still, how could he abandon them after all this time? He had been part of the school's inception fourteen years ago. Indeed, without him there would be no school. She would probably still be languishing as a teacher at the school in Chelsea, dreaming of the day when she could open her own institution governed by her own curriculum and her own rules.

Now their idiot neighbor, Mr. Pritchard, was about to sweep it all away. He was rumored to be on the verge of selling Rockhurst, the estate adjoining the school's property, to the owner of a racecourse in Yorkshire. She could just see it -- rough men flocking to bet on the races, spilling onto the school's lawn and accosting her girls.

How could Cousin Michael stand by and let it happen? He owned this property. Did he not care if she was forced out?

She sucked in a breath. That was what hurt the most -- the possibility that he was letting it happen so he could gain higher rents. From the beginning, her rent had been lower than that charged by other landlords in Richmond, and now, with property values in the area soaring, it was ridiculously low. In all these years, her mysterious cousin had never raised it. Why, she wasn't sure. Perhaps because he realized she could only afford a modest increase?

That was especially true now that enrollment had fallen off, fueled by the scandals dogging her pupils in the last year. If rumors about a possible sale of the property next door proved true, it would make matters even worse.

She would have to fight it. When she had thought that Rockhurst was about to be bought months ago, she and her friends had come up with several good ideas for thwarting Mr. Pritchard's plans. They could set up a petition to the licensing board again, or --

"Beg pardon, madam."

She looked up to see her personal footman in the doorway. "Yes, Terence?"

"Lord Kirkwood is here to see you."

A pounding began in her chest. David? Here? No, that could not be. What possible reason could he have now that his wife, a former pupil of the school, was dead?

She thrust her shaking hands under the desk to hide them from her too-perceptive servant. "Are you sure it's Lord Kirkwood?"

"The one who married Miss Sarah Linley, right?"

She nodded. "Did he say what his visit concerns?"

"I asked, but he told me it was private." Terence, always protective of her, crossed his arms over his meaty chest. "So I told him that men aren't entitled to privacy when they visit a girls' school."

"Terence!"

His lip twitched. "And he said he wasn't in the habit of giving up his privacy for the amusement of impudent footmen."

She gave a rueful laugh. "That does sound like something he would say."

Terence looked perplexed. "You know him, then? I didn't think he had ever been here, not even after he married Miss Linley."

"I know him socially through Lord Norcourt."

That was both an overstatement and a vast understatement of her association with David Masters, the Viscount Kirkwood.

She was fortunate he was even civil to her on the few occasions they met in society. Considering the great wrong she had committed against him and his family years ago, she would not fault him for giving her the cut direct.

Indeed, she had been afraid of his doing exactly that when she had attended poor Sarah's funeral months ago. But despite knowing how uncomfortable her presence would make him, Charlotte had felt compelled to make an appearance.

She and David had exchanged the barest of greetings, though he had been surprisingly cordial for a man who must despise her. Why, just remembering the summer of the Great Debacle made her cringe.

So what on earth had brought him here? She could not imagine a more awkward situation. In all these years, she and David had never been alone together, never spoken of what she had done to him.

"Should I send him packing?" Terence asked.

For a second, she was tempted. But something important indeed must have brought him to visit the woman who had once wronged him so horribly. "No. Just show him in."

After Terence left, she checked her appearance in the mirror to make sure her auburn curls were not too badly askew and her face not too pale. Perhaps it was foolish, but she wanted to look her best before him, of all people. She scarcely had time to smooth her skirts and pinch her cheeks before he was ushered into her office, bringing her face-to-face with the man she had nearly married so long ago.

Pasting a smile on her lips, she walked forward with her hand extended. "Lord Kirkwood. How nice to see you again."

His eyes flashed with some hidden emotion. "Charlotte." He took her hand and pressed it briefly before releasing it.

Charlotte. Not Mrs. Harris, but Charlotte, spoken in the husky tone that had made her heart flip over when she was eighteen and he nearly twenty.

No, she must not think of that. Those days were gone forever, lost in the pages of their pasts. Time and her own mistakes, as well as his, had changed them both irrevocably.

Nothing proved that more than the dusting of gray at his temples, the lines of care worn into his brow. At thirtyseven, David was still uncommonly handsome, with the aggressively masculine features of a man who had always commanded attention, from the sharp blade of his nose to the cleft in his chin. His coloring reminded her of the forest -- his eyes a leafy green and his thick, wavy hair the dark brown of walnuts and bark and rich tilled earth.

And his body...

She turned sharply and hurried behind her desk, afraid she might blush. At eighteen, she had noticed his body in the vague way of a virgin unfamiliar with sensual delights. But now, as a widow of some years, she noticed it with an awareness bordering on pain.

Since Sarah had been dead for six months now, he wore half-mourning, with some white blended in with his black. Ebony trousers encased the lean hips and muscular thighs of a man who kept himself fit, while his finely tailored morning coat of jet black saxony showed off his broad shoulders. And she could well imagine those large gloved hands, one of which gripped the handle of a leather satchel, playing over a woman's body with the surety of experience...

Heavens, she had to stop this. Terence was eyeing her from the door with rank curiosity, obviously hanging about to make sure David did not harm her.

She frowned at him. "Thank you, Terence. You may go."

With a grunt the man left.

"Rather a rough sort for a footman," David said dryly.

"He used to be a pugilist."

"Why on earth would you hire a boxer as a lady's footman?"

Bristling at the criticism, she said, "Because his skills aremore useful to a woman going about town alone than anyniceties of behavior." She forced a smile. "But I'm sure youdidn't come here to discuss my servants, Lord Kirkwood."

Gesturing to the chair before the desk, she took her ownseat, needing something massive between them to keep hermind from wandering to her unwelcome attraction to aman who surely loathed her.

Yet he did not look as if he loathed her. He watched hersteadily as he sat down with the easy motion of a man verycomfortable in his surroundings. "Actually, I've come bearinggood news."

Good news? From him? "And what might that be?"

"In going through Sarah's things recently, I discovered ahandwritten codicil to her will. In it, she left a substantialsum of money to your school."

Had she heard him right? "I don't understand."

"She bequeathed some of her fortune to the school."

"Your wife, Sarah. Bequeathed me money."

"Not you," he corrected with a lift of his eyebrow. "Theschool."

"Yes, of course, the school. But..." She thought ofSarah's snide remarks, the way the woman had behavedat the last tea she'd attended, the seeming contempt Sarahhad always shown her fellow pupils. "But why?"

He shrugged. "She always admired you and thoughtfondly of her days here."

"Your wife, Sarah, thought fondly of her days here."

"I believe we've already established that the woman under discussion is my late wife, Sarah," he said dryly.

No doubt he found her response insulting. "Forgive me. It's just that...she never seemed to...that is..."

"I know Sarah could be...difficult. But I believe she secretly held you and the school in high esteem."

Charlotte muttered, "That was a secret buried so deep as to be invisible." Then she groaned. "I'm sorry. That was rude. It is just such a shock to think that Sarah had any particular regard for me or the school."

"Well, the truth of the matter lies in the size of her bequest." He leveled her with a gaze of dark intent. "It's thirty thousand pounds."

Charlotte sucked in a breath. "Oh my word. Are you sure?"

A faint smile touched his lips. "I wouldn't be here if I weren't." He removed a sheaf of papers from his satchel and placed them before her. "I took the liberty of having our family solicitor draw up a legal document that fully sets out the particulars she gave in her codicil. Feel free to have your own solicitor examine it."

Still unable to take in the news, Charlotte just gaped at the formal-looking papers with the name of som...

Customer Reviews

GREAT ENDING to the Heiress series - "Cousin Michael" was not who I expected ... but I was *not* disappointed!!
[Setting: 1824, Richmond and London, England] Wed Him Before You Bed Him is the sixth and final book in "The School for Heiresses" series and I have greatly been looking forward to it - and finally discovering Cousin Michael's identity!! - even though I haven't read all the other books in the series. I was not disappointed and found it absolutely delightful; I would recommend it to people even if they haven't read all - or any - of the other Heiress books (though reading them certainly makes this book more enjoyable since you have the mystery surrounding Cousin Michael building up).

He was NOT who I expected him to be - I was actually convinced that this person wasn't going to end up being the mysterious benefactor. However, although I experienced a few moments of disappointment, the feeling quickly disappeared and in the end I think Jeffries wrote an amazing hero and did a stellar job of recreating the H&H's past while making the flames between them 18 years later (when the story takes place) feel as strong as ever (if not stronger and more substantial) - basically I think her choice of Cousin Michael's alter ego ended up being perfect. She successfully combines two star-crossed lovers with a tumultuous past who are honest and upfront about their feelings, a secret identity hidden through a fourteen-year long correspondence, wonderful chemistry and great romance (many sigh-worthy moments), and a murder mystery for an absolutely delightful end to her Heiress series.

~~NOTE: Don't read further **if you don't want to know** who Cousin Michael is. If you do ... go ahead! (And bear with me, I know I wrote enough for an epic poem here).

~~THE HISTORY (our hero and heroine's past):
Jeffries gives us two chapters in the present day (when the story is set) and then flashes us back to when the H&H fell in love, almost got married, suffered heartbreak due to misunderstanding and *several* horrible twists of fate, and split up. It was very well done and greatly adds to the story - so much of what happens between them is defined by their shared history and getting several chapters of that makes them finally coming together and their romance that much sweeter and more enjoyable to read. So ...

Eighteen years ago, eighteen-year old Charlotte Page (now thirty-six-year old widow and headmistress Mrs. Charlotte Harris) and twenty-year old David Masters (now thirty-seven-year old widower and Viscount Kirkwood) were being pushed into a marriage by their manipulative fathers. At first, they were both dead-set against the match ... however when Charlotte and her parents visit David and his family at their country estate, the two young people find that perhaps their initial aversion was unwarranted. During the week-long visit, they come to know one another very well and slowly fall in love; everything looks to be going along perfectly and they seem to be headed in the direction of matrimonial bliss ...

However, shocker of shockers, everything does not occur as it should (I know, sit down and recover from the surprise I just sprung on you) and circumstances make it so that Charlotte and David part ways, each full of anger and hurt - which over the years turns to feelings of regret and loss - and never to speak to one another again for eighteen years (or so Charlotte thinks, lol). The whole debacle involves mistaken identity (Charlotte thinks she spies David diddling the maid), a letter written in haste and wrongly delivered (fate *would* have to make it so that Charlotte's scathing letter is delivered to a tabloid and not David's house), and severe public humiliation (David endures shame and criticism after he's cast in the role of "bad rakish arrogant peer" by society - the letter didn't have actual names in case it fell into the wrong hands, but people were able to figure out that he was the vilified male being written about). The result is an elopement and failed marriage for Charlotte (her father is so livid she elopes in a desperate attempt to escape him - he's a *horrible* bully) and feelings of anger and a need for revenge on the part of our hero, David.

~~THE STORY (how the reunion-romance unfolds):
Fourteen years ago, David set up the charade of "Cousin Michael" and lured Charlotte away from her teacher post with the promise of being headmistress of her own school ... all to carry out the revenge he felt she so richly deserved for his very public humiliation. He would let her get comfortable, set up an establishment, put down some roots, and then happily pull it all out from under her and leave her to suffer as he has.

But starting with the first letter from her thanking dear "Cousin Michael" for his generosity, David is drawn in and he finds himself embarking on a fourteen-year correspondence with a woman whom he once loved, was determined to ruin, and has now come to respect and treasure as a friend. The moment has come for him to finally reenter Charlotte's life (as himself), for although she hasn't heard from her mysterious benefactor for six months, her school is in danger because not only is a racecourse being planned for the property next door, but little does she know she has problems with her own school's property as well (David won the lease of the land for 15 years, but doesn't actually own it). David lost his wife to suicide six months ago and is now (somewhat) free to pursue the woman who has dominated his thoughts and remained an obsession (he's still in half-mourning).

Charlotte is confused at having to face him again and is extremely suspicious of his explanation and his motives; she finds it hard to believe that (vain and selfish) Sarah, his deceased wife and her former pupil, left a large amount of money to a school that she never seemed to have any fondness for. Charlotte has so many regrets over what happened between her and David all those years ago and still feels guilt over how she wronged him, albeit unknowingly and unintentionally. The attraction between them still burns as brightly as it ever did and Charlotte finds herself embarking on an affair with the man who has always retained a piece of her heart and whom she can't seem to resist.

And so the story goes - David, intensely wooing Charlotte so as to convince her to let him back into her life, all the while trying to hide his other persona of "Cousin Michael," and Charlotte, desperate to hang on to the independence she fought so hard for and the life she put so much work into building, while at the same time unable to deny her loneliness and continued longing for the man she first fell in love with so long ago.

~~MAIN CHARACTERS, Mrs. Charlotte Harris and David Masters, Viscount Kirkwood:
The hero and especially the heroine of this book are older than we usually see, however in this instance it was a nice change. There is so much history between the two - what happened defined the course of both their lives - and I think their maturity only enhanced the book and added depth to their relationship and emotions.

Charlotte is a strong, confident, kind, hard-working, forthright and extremely likable heroine. After having such a horrible father and then being married to a man she did not love who lost all her money and then died in a duel two years into their marriage, she never wants to depend on another man again. She has forged a life for herself and a successful career, teaching young women many of the subjects that often aren't thought necessary - or even desirable - for her gender, and though she at times feels lonely, Charlotte gains satisfaction from her work and the friends she has made.

David is a wonderful hero - intense, determined, kind, intelligent, teasing, passionate, responsible - and just perfect for Charlotte. He has many regrets about what happened so many years ago and has grown up and matured a lot since. Although his father completely ruined the family finances, he did what was necessary to make them successful again, making a marriage of convenience (he needs money, she wants a title) and using the money that comes with his (horrid) wife to make sound business investments and turn around the family fortunes. He feels tremendous guilt over his wife's suicide and he also feels guilty over the "Cousin Michael" deception and why it was first initiated. David longs for Charlotte - though that word isn't strong enough IMO - and is determined to get her back in his life with a single-minded intensity.

~~COMMENTS:
The chemistry between David and Charlotte literally leaps off the page, however there is also great depth to their relationship. Reading this book is like reading the story of two star-crossed lovers that you just KNOW are meant to be together, so you read voraciously through without putting the book down in order to get to the end and finally see them get their well-deserved HEA.

I normally don't like books that have misunderstandings and when you have stories where the H&H had a first-love together or an almost-marriage or whatever, the reason that the story is taking place so many years later is always because of some type of misunderstanding. However, this book was such a refreshing change in so many ways and although the story starts off with a big misunderstanding, the characters don't create more of them when they meet again (thank god!). I also appreciated that by the time all this is happening, both Charlotte and David have pretty much learned the truth about the other person's side of the story.

Charlotte and David are always open about their feelings and their past - there are no things left unsaid or secrets (well, the whole Cousin Michael thing, which yes, I'll grant you, is a big deal - but hello, that's what the whole plot is about so it's completely necessary!!). I loved that they were so honest about their regrets regarding how they treated each other; they both say exactly what the reader always thinks in cases like these - if only she had confronted him about what she thought she saw, if only he hadn't let his pride stop him from going to her, etc. Both of them have been hurt and are afraid to love again and trust another person - especially each other - with their hearts, however they are honest about their desire for each other, their affection, their confusion over feelings and emotions and where the relationship might be going, and so on. SUCH a nice change!!!

~~BOTTOM LINE:
READ THIS BOOK! I, along with most people from what the polls on Jeffries' website indicate, thought and hoped that the mysterious "Cousin Michael" was Lord Stoneville - and I'm still rooting for him to get his own book, and from suspicious goings-on in this book think he will soon - however I was not at all disappointed with David and think that Jeffries wrote a hero and heroine who were perfect for one another and really could not have been with any other person.

~~P.S.:
If you want to refresh your memory about (or read for the first time) the letter snippets between Charlotte and Cousin Michael that have appeared at the beginning of all the Heiress book chapters, they are posted on Sabrina Jeffries' website.

~Blogspot, "Historical Romance Heaven"

Great Love...Recommended Read
I loved the beginning of this book. The romance between the hero and heroine is crafted so well and it pulls you in immediately. I wasn't that interested in Charlotte's story before I read this but the author does a great job with her character and with Cousin Michael - David Masters. Their characters are well defined and the reader is able to care about them early in the story. I was almost disappointed that a murder mystery became a part of the story because the author had done such a great job with the romance I felt as though it would have been even better without what seems to have become the obligatory murder plot in HRs now. I guess I felt like it took something away from a great romance story in this one. Hence, the 4 stars instead of 5. And yet, the murder plot was interesting.

I enjoyed the story , the romance and the characters and would definitely recommend this book...especially compared to the others that have come out recently.

A Lovely Old Flame Story
Loved Charlotte's book in this series. I'm glad she finally got her time in the spotlight. I love Old Flame stories, and this one was no exception. Great chemistry between the characters, and a lot of fun plot twists!