London, England – 1812

The newly named Viscount Steele has dragged himself up by the bootstraps for many years. Not only is he now Solicitor-General of England, but is also a barrister and leads a secret life as a Sentinel. Sentinels prowl the streets of London at night to mete out justice his day job forbids him to do. His beloved Deidre died over eight years ago, but back then he wasn't good enough for her and had to keep their marriage secret until she died in a horrible accident. Now that he has prestige and a title, they really mean nothing to him, except he hopes he is now a man who would be worthy of her love. One night while disguised as a Sentinel, he meets a woman in widows clothes who beats off two people trying to harm her; clearly a woman of some capabilities. The attraction when they meet is immediate, and he ends up taking her against a wall, something he's never done before. What is happening to him?

Abigail West is in desperate need of a governess position. An affair with a member of the family at her last position got her kicked out of her job with no references. And on top of that, she's received a letter from her brother Reggie saying he is in London and in need of her help. With her last bit of money she goes to London to find Reggie and get a job before she is penniless on the street. A barmaid says she has information for her and meets her in the back alley, only she isn't alone. Abigail is no shrinking violet, but it takes a masked and caped man in black to save her from robbery or maybe something worse in a city where life is cheap. Abigail is strangely drawn to the hero, and after they have sex, she wonders what is the matter with her; has she no pride or modesty?

Abigail gets a nanny position for the Solicitor-General's two nephews and continues to search for her brother in the depths of the night. She feels drawn to Viscount Steele, but surely a woman of her position would be laughed at to think she could set her cap for someone such as he. And besides, several more meetings with the masked man with predictable results as their attraction grows has her betwixt and between her mysterious lover and the totally charismatic Viscount Steele. All this on top of watching over two small boys whose parents had just died, and looking for her brother amongst the underground of London.

Written from Abigail's and Steele's points of view, we appreciate the way each is drawn to the other person in their "other" darker life, and yet come to appreciate and respond to their real life selves. The story has various twists and turns and always has something different going on to hold our attention. The combination of the hidden life and the real life is handled well, and we are treated to situations that keep our interest.

Lord Steele's charges, Felix and Seth, are the heart of his troubles. Their grandfather, Viscount Benbrook, was his beloved Deidre's father, and after her brother and his wife died, the two boys were sent to London. Reggie is Abigail's ne'er-do-well brother who is behind her secret night activities, and Lucifer Laverty is a member of the London criminal scene, one of the leaders of the dark side of London's underbelly. And an unemployed tutor, Mr. Littlethom, has tried to ingratiate himself with Abigail for nefarious reasons, and his story is perhaps the center of the book.

THE GOVERNESS WEARS SCARLET is a fine historical novel that will appeal to all lovers of the classic English governess novel. If that is your weakness, THE GOVERNESS WEARS SCARLET will fuel your obsession nicely this month.

Carolyn Crisher