A woman with a dark and dangerous secret meets a man whose most important goal becomes that of discovering what she is hiding, in Julia Justiss's latest offering, the very aptly titled My Lady's Trust.
Laura Martin's quiet existence in Merriville is suddenly complicated when Kit Bradsleigh, the younger brother of the Earl of Beaulieu, is shot accidentally, and she must care for him until the doctor arrives. The Earl himself, Hugh (Beau) Bradsleigh, arrives upon hearing of his brother's injury and is understandably grateful to Laura, an herbal healer who has kept Kit alive through the dangerous hours of his recovery, although much to his surprise, he finds that the mysterious Mrs. Martin is not the wizened crone he expected, but a young and attractive widow.
Beau is not the only one to have noticed Laura's quiet charms: a squire, and most especially, the vicar, are also pursuing her, despite her best attempts at going unnoticed. Even Beau's sister, Lady Elspeth, has taken a liking to Laura and is determined to see that the kind Mrs. Martin be married again. Beau's not exactly thinking marriage when it comes to Laura, but he definitely knows that if anyone is going to have her, it will be him. Aside from the squire and the vicar, Beau and Laura must also deal with Lady Ardith, a married woman seeking her next conquest, and who is resentful of Laura.
There is a very good reason for Laura's behavior, for her desire to remain unnoticed, and Beau is determined to figure out why she is all alone in Merriville. As for Laura, although she delights in Beau's attentions, the fact that he is interested in her clashes completely with her desire to remain invisible. It is when Beau decides to take action that the book became predictable, because when he does figure out the real reason for Laura's behavior and confronts her about it, he acts in a way that completely fails to consider the possible consequences. As a result of his "brain fart," a truly frightening villain gets a chance to behave most despicably and endanger our hero and heroine's future happiness before getting his own comeuppance.
Ms. Justiss moves the story along nicely, and the tone of the book remains constant. I did have some complaints about a couple of secondary characters. For example, Lady Ardith is insufferable despite all the sympathy both Beau and Laura have for her, and young Lady Catherine (Elspeth's daughter) has a pretty fancy way of speaking for a child. There are wonderful, light moments in the story but I was grateful that the truth of Laura's past and what it means to her future with Beau is not softened for a lighter feel. What we have in My Lady's Trust is a moving story of a truly kind woman getting a chance at happiness.
If you're looking for a break from light and frothy stories or simply are looking for a well crafted, emotionally meaty story, My Lady's Trust is a book you should definitely consider. This buried treasure of an author continues to write books deserving of a greater audience.
Sensuality: Warm
Publication Date: 2002
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