Autumn in Scotland by Karen Ranney

grumpy was ever so nice to ask at the Avon Board for info on this book... And Karen Ranney was every so nice to answer: Well, since you asked, here's the "stuff" about Autumn in Scotland: Setting: Scotland, 1833 Charlotte MacKinnon is an English heiress who knew she had to wed, and agrees to marry a penurious Scot by the name of George MacKinnon, Earl of Marne. Her father wanted a title in the family, and George needed a fortune. But when George disappears after a week of marriage, enough is enough. Charlotte goes to Scotland, and decides to remain there. She will do what other Scotswomen have done - divorce her husband for desertion. (Loved the research on the Scottish marital laws - women in Scotland had so much more freedom than other women in the Empire.) Unfortunately, her husband appears five years later, after her divorce is declined by the court because they can't find George to establish his residency. Not only has George returned at the worst possible moment, but his appearance could ruin everything Charlotte has worked for in the last five years. Everyone at the Caledonia School for the Advancement of Females thinks he's delightfully charming. In addition, a group of very odd women has decided to adopt Charlotte as a cause. They urge her to seduce George, and have him remain as a husband. She doesn't want to have anything to do with the perfidious wretch. Never mind that he's handsome, and much more personable than he's ever been. In fact, he's so different that she wonders why she didn't see the real man all those years ago. (You knew this was coming...) The fact is, George isn't George, but his cousin, so alike in appearance that they were mistaken for brothers when they were children. Dixon has been living in Penang, and after a tragedy of his own, decided to return home to Scotland. Not only is everything different and a girl's school has taken over the castle he knew as a boy, but everyone thinks he's George, who has evidently disappeared. He needs to find George, not only for Charlotte's sake but for his own. The sooner he gets away from her, the better. She's proving to be too attractive and too alluring. His anger toward George grows as the mystery deepens, a treasure beckons, and he falls in love with Charlotte. Add in Matthew Mark Luke and John - a secondary character with issues of his own - a group of older women absolutely fascinated with the "carnal arts", and other assorted characters, and you have Autumn in Scotland. I'll post an excerpt on my website in a few weeks. Warm fuzzies! Karen Sounds good, I was afraid she was going to say he had been off being a spy or something. hmmm which I guess he could still be off being a spy since he isn't George. Guess we will have to wait and see ;).