Terrific start to the new series. The story opens as Leah answers a summons to a solicitor's office near her current place of employment. There she learns of an inheritance and the stunning story behind it. She shares her legacy with two other young women who turn out to be her half-sisters. All three stand to inherit a substantial amount of money and property if they fulfill the conditions: travel to London to partake of the Season and marry within a year. The possibilities consume Leah's mind as she returns to Dolphin Court, only to discover that her employer has returned after more than a year away.

Dolph hired Leah as his children's governess right after his wife's death and promptly left for the Continent. Blaming himself for Rebecca's death, he hid behind his work with the Government after Waterloo. Eventually, he felt guilty about abandoning his children and returned home to take up his life there again.

The first meeting between Dolph and Leah was a little rough. He arrived shortly before she returned from her appointment, which got them off on the wrong foot. Things were also a little awkward because the children were hesitant with Dolph. I liked that Leah stood up for herself and put her irritation aside to ease Dolph and his children's situation. Leah faces a dilemma because she doesn't want to leave the children until they are comfortable with their father, but she also has a deadline to meet.

I enjoyed watching the relationship between Dolph and Leah develop. There is no doubt about the attraction that flares between them, but both try to resist it. Leah is wary of men and their intentions after a few bad experiences, and Dolph swore never to marry again. I liked watching them together as Leah guided Dolph along the path of getting to know his children. At the same time, Leah and Dolph found their feelings for each other grew stronger. There were some sweet scenes between them, as well as some very intense ones. Dolph continues to believe that he cannot make a woman happy, but when Leah decides to leave, he comes up with a businesslike marriage proposal. Though she loves both him and the children, she wants to be loved in return, so she turns him down and leaves for London.

I loved Leah's arrival in London, where she immediately starts to get acquainted with her sister Aurelia. Though there's plenty to do and learn, Dolph and the children are never far from her mind. She can't help comparing her present admirers to Dolph even though she knows she needs to move on. Meanwhile, back at Dolphin Court, Dolph can't get Leah out of his mind. I laughed at the conversation with his friend Hinckley, who knew precisely what Dolph's problem was. I loved seeing him rush off to London, only to be faced with the new Leah. I liked seeing him have to work a little to convince Leah of how he felt and that Leah stood up for her needs. I look forward to seeing them in the other books in the series.

I also look forward to getting to know Aurelia and Beatrice. Aurelia arrived in London before Leah and has already formed some strong opinions. I can see that their chaperone will have her hands full with Aurelia. It sounds like she has an interesting backstory, and I can't wait to read it. Beatrice arrived late enough that Aurelia and Leah thought they would have to get her. Her backstory seems to involve an unpleasant brother who may create some problems. That, too, should be an exciting story.

There was also a nice secondary story going on between Dolph's friend George Hinckley and Philippa, the vicar's daughter. I wasn't sure about him at first, but he quickly grew on me. I loved seeing the changes in him the more time he spent with Philippa.

One of the things I liked about this book was the way it handled the subject of suicide. The effects on those left behind were vividly portrayed without being clinical or made light of. I liked how Leah shared her father's experiences as a vicar in a way that eased Dolph's guilt. ( )