Richmond England – 1830

Anthony Dalton is well known in London as a rakehell, a seducer of women, particularly widows, with no conscience. Since he was eleven years old, women have fascinated him, much to the dismay of his Uncle Randolph and Aunt Eunice. His father sent him to his uncle and aunt after the death of his mother so his father could pursue his business interests. Anthony's life was a living hell, one that has followed him ever since he escaped to Eton at twelve years old. He will never forgive them, and when his wastrel of an older brother and his wife suddenly die and their daughter is entrusted to Uncle Randolph and Aunt Eunice, Anthony can tell from Tessa's letters that they are treating her the same way they did him. All Anthony can think of is to get Tessa enrolled in Mrs. Harris's School for Young Ladies; she must never endure what he did. It's the middle of the term and Mrs. Harris has heard of his reputation and can't believe he has a tender child wishing to enter her school. Mrs. Harris trusts her teacher Madeline Prescott to handle Lord Norcourt and explain why his niece cannot enter their school.

Madeline Prescott is working at Mrs. Harris's school while she tries to get in contact with the famous scientist Sir Humphry Davy. Her father was a respected doctor in a nearby town when he used nitrous oxide while working on a patient, and the patient died. In fact, Sir Randolph, Anthony's uncle, seemed to be behind the wave of hatred that grew up around her father. Papa just sits around the meager house she can afford on her wages, deep in a depression and cursing his experiment using nitrous oxide to treat pain. If Madeline can just get Sir Humphry to answer one of her letters or talk to the good people of her town, maybe her father would go back to his old self and she wouldn't be carrying the burden of supporting them and keeping him from trying to end his life. Now Anthony presents another problem -- how to stay away from a man well-known for his arts of seduction and yet a personality that draws her into his web.

When Anthony meets Madeline, he is desperate to gain entrance to the girls' school, and since he is known as a man who holds nitrous parties where people go to get "high", perhaps he can get her an introduction to Sir Humphry...but how to keep him around? Ah, brilliant, get this noted womanizer to give lessons to the young heiresses in the school on how to recognize a cad, a bounder, a man who merely wants your money and not you. Anthony thinks it's a stupid idea, but he's game for anything to remove his niece from his aunt and uncle. Mrs. Harris reluctantly agrees, and Anthony turns out to be the epitome of a natural teacher, able to relate to the girls and teach them valuable lessons, but how is Madeline going to convince him to introduce her to Sir Humphry?

Sabrina Jeffries has written a novel with a plot I think was very exciting. I was eager to get into the lessons, and she didn't let me down. Alternating between Anthony's and Madeline's points of view, Anthony will break your heart with the story of his childhood and how those horrors follow him around. Madeline had a normal life until her mother died and her father went into one of his depressions, and then when his patient died, he went into a state where nothing interested him and Madeline took over the running of both their lives. Madeline's plans to meet Sir Humphry may be ridiculous and probably won't work, but she's at the end of the line in how to save her father's life.

Mrs. Harris is in charge of her school, and has made it her life's duty to keep young women from getting mixed up in the kind of life she got into. "Cousin Michael" has financed her school, but keeps his identity a secret, communicating only in letters. We meet Uncle Randolph and Aunt Eunice, their daughter Jane, who lived a terrible young life with Anthony, and many young girls from the school to keep our interest. Each person has his or her own story and they intertwine to perfection.

LET SLEEPING ROGUES LIE is the fourth book in the School for Heiresses series, and each story is completely separate. LET SLEEPING ROGUES LIE is also an outstanding example of a historical romance that you will love.

Carolyn Crisher