Jane Mason is an heiress, but her money is being slowly embezzled by her unscrupulous relatives to further her uncle’s unscrupulous political career and she’s being kept far away in the country, to make sure she can’t meet anyone who might marry her. Her aunt and uncle plan to marry her off to her cousin, and eventually, Jane reluctantly agrees on the condition that she get a season in London first. She hopes to meet another suitable man she can convince to elope with her, offering him a share of her father’s vast fortune as long as she is free of her relatives.
The only man not closely related to she’s had much contact with during her near captivity in the country is Crispin Burke, another ruthless and self-serving politician, who nonetheless seems to be the only one to recognise that Jane isn’t the meek and biddable young maiden she has pretended to be for years. He suggests that he may be able to help her procure a special licence, where she’d only have to enter the name of the groom to get herself a legally binding marriage certificate, but first he wants her to spy on her uncle for him.
When Jane discovers that her relatives want to move up her marriage to her spineless and cruel cousin, time is running out for her. She also overhears the news that Crispin Burke has been attacked and is unlikely to survive the week. He will therefore never be able to contradict her when she runs to his family and pretends to be his wife. Only, through some medical miracle (and to further the plot), Crispin survives and wakes from his coma, with amnesia. He doesn’t remember the last five years, and when he is told by his family that Jane is his wife, he obviously believes them. Jane needs to stay “married” to him until her father’s solicitors release her inheritance into her control, but lives in terror that Crispin regain his memory and discover the truth.
The weeks pass, however, and Crispin is still weak and disorientated because of his head injuries. He discovers that his “wife” is intelligent and well-informed on the issues he’s been working on in parliament, and comes to rely on her completely to help him navigate both his private and professional life. Jane discovers that the post-injury Crispin is a very different from the cold, calculating man he was before, and can finally be herself, needed, valued and praised for her abilities, rather than having to swallow her pride and anger to avoid the abuse of her relatives. She knows that she is living a lie and that she will need to leave Crispin before he discovers the truth, but can’t bring herself to leave or help herself from falling for her “husband”.
Full review on my blog.
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