Lady Amelia's Mess and a Half

Widowed philanthropist Lady Amelia Audley would like nothing more than to forget wealthy bachelor Jake Hillary, but it's blasted difficult when he is seated next to her at a dinner hosted by his mother. It's even harder to forgive him for kissing her senseless a year earlier then disappearing without a word. Yet, Amelia must endure Jake's company if she wishes to benefit from his mother's connections and win support for a project dear to her heart, the renovation of the foundling hospital.

Jake Hillary has known nothing but heartbreak since he met Amelia. First, she chose his closest friend instead of him then she dismissed his love letters and took up with a rake while he tended to urgent family matters. When his debauched brother sets out to seduce her, Jake risks his heart once more and begins to court Amelia. Soon he and Amelia discover an abiding affection for one another, a love that has survived despite the efforts of others to keep them apart. Happiness seems within their reach at last until the past resurfaces and threatens to destroy their love forever.