London, circa early 1815

There aren't many ways for an impoverished gentlewoman to make her way in the world outside marriage -- difficult with no dowry or connections -- or living off the grudging charity of distant relatives. Miss Jane Chatham came up with an original idea that has caught the fancy of the ton. She teaches dance to very young ladies, little more than infants, in fact. Her main employer is the beautiful, widowed Lydia, Lady Harwood, whose invitations to other mothers to bring their daughters to class are much coveted. While Jane teaches the children in the ballroom, Lady Harwood receives callers in the parlour. Lady Harwood is out to catch a husband, and if the merry sounds and sights of little girls having fun with their attractive dance instructor amuses her guests, so much the better. When the moppets knock Jane down in their enthusiasm and thereby bare a shapely leg, Lady Harwood's salons become all the rage.

Simon Atwood, Lord Granger called upon Lady Harwood as a favor for a friend whose young -- only one and twenty -- brother and heir seems to be caught in the widow's snare. Simon is there to witness Jane's fall, as well as her conversation afterward with her employer. He catches up with her as she limps down the street and offers her employment on the side -- to watch, listen, and report to him everything she can about what goes on at the Harwood house.

Jane and Simon are wonderful characters. She's a baronet's orphaned daughter who rises above her circumstances to stay independent. It's a precarious life at best, but she'll make it with luck. Simon was an intelligence agent for the Crown, was captured and spent a year in prison under dangerous and vile conditions. The experience left him haunted, and his reclusive life since his return to England leaves him wide open to rumor. He's glad to have this chance to get back into action for his good friend and fellow spy, Viscount Delancy.

Jane is suspicious of Simon, but eager to earn the extra wages. One of the rumors about him sets her at ease enough for a friendship to grow. However, their interest in Lady Harwood's salon catches the eye of someone with something to hide, and danger lurks in the wings.

I love Edith Layton's books; their plots are always original, always catch and hold one's attention while managing to be moving, suspenseful, and lightly amusing. Ms. Layton gives her characters substance, realistic motivations, and challenges to overcome, all the while making her heroes and heroines admirable and likable. HIS DARK AND DANGEROUS WAYS is another example of such, though Simon has an edge to him as suggested by the title.

For a super Regency era read, don't miss HIS DARK AND DANGEROUS WAYS.

Jane Bowers