Enterprising Lady
She did not want to be a wife.  She wanted to lead her own life.

Love was not on the agenda for either one of them

Lydia Crenshaw had a "secret." Only her widowed mother and younger sister knew what she was up to, and though it was their only source of income, they feared discovery, for they would surely be ruined.

Lydia hoped her "secret" would make her an independent woman, for she had no taste for a husband who would virtually own her. So it was that when she met the Duke of Canfield, she was quite happy to enjoy his company as he had declared himself a confirmed bachelor to his dying day.

What Lydia did not know was that the duke knew her "secret" and was determined to save her from ruination. But Lydia knew she was already done for the day she discovered she had fallen in love!

Hero: Gilbert Canfield
Heroine: Lydia Crenshaw