Unmasking Deception

Escaping to Maida Pleasure Gardens for an evening of anonymous moonlight waltzing is bliss for Viola Dove, compared to the strained formality of her first London Season. But the excitement reaches fever pitch when an escaped convict is pursued through the gardens – wounded and in desperate need of help.

Lord Dominic Gorse, the rakehell son of a marquis, is ill-suited to confinement, whether in Newgate or a surprisingly comfortable cellar, cared for by the beautiful, intriguing Viola, a parcel of lively children, and a very large puppy. Viola sees beneath Dominic’s layers of charm and trouble to the man beneath, and sets out to help prove his innocence. But is she right to trust the handsome, volatile stranger with whom she is falling hopelessly in love? Is he using her for his own ends, or is there a deeper, deadlier deceit at work? One they need to expose to have any chance of happiness…