The Reluctant Heiress

Secrets only get darker with time…

The Earl of Moriston is an aristocrat, diplomat and occasional detective.

When his lordship first meets the ravishing Caroline Malcolm, he is taken aback by her reaction to him.

She turns as white as the ribbons that trim her elegant muslin gown, and looks as if she is about to faint from shock.

Unable to ignore a promising mystery, and by no means impervious to Miss Malcolm’s charms, he soon finds himself embroiled in events that prove to be much more stirring than he bargained for.

Aided, and sometimes impeded, by a vivid array of characters — including his caustic sister and exuberant younger brother — the earl perseveres with his investigation despite all opposition.

Even his provoking client, Miss Malcolm, considers him arrogant, autocratic, and secretly irresistible.

When his lordship stumbles across a splendidly devious plot involving priceless diamonds, suspicious ‘accidents’, and secrets that have been closely guarded for more than 20 years, a whole new world begins to emerge…

The Reluctant Heiress is the perfect combination of heart-warming romance and thought provoking mystery.

’A jaunty Regency mystery with romantic underpinnings, a high-spirited cast, and some delightful research into the period's theatrical lows.' – Kirkus Reviews

Annabel Laine is the pseudonym of bestselling author Reay Tannahill, whose work, published in Britain and the United States, has also been translated into French, German, Dutch and Japanese. One of her recent historical studies was a main choice of the American Book-of-the-Month Club. Annabel Laine is Scottish by birth and, most of the time, by inclination. She is married and lives in the Highlands.