Jamie Montgomery, an impoverished Elizabethan knight, is elated when he is assigned to escort Axia, the Lancaster heiress, to the castle of her betrothed. If only she will fall in love with Jamie 00 as Jamie's devoted older sister predicts 00 the family's financial woes will be solved. But Axia, who has spent her life closely guarded by her father's servants, is not the shy, cossetted flower Jamie expects. She's a hoyden, hell-bent on enjoying her precious moments of liberty before her marriage to a man chosen by her remote, eccentric father. After curtly informing Jamie not to bother declaring his love for her -- as all poor, handsome men seem wont to do -- Axia makes his life a misery, sneaking off to the marketplace, nearly breaking her neck on a runaway horse, and doing everything possible to delay the trip. Though she dare not admit it, even to herself, Axia dreads being wed to a stranger. Suddenly Jamie realizes that he savors even her most barbed words life the rarest nectar..that he is falling desperately in love with this bold, maddening beauty. Now he must contrive a daring plan to win her freedom -- and win her proud, defiant heart for his own!
From Publishers Weekly
No one is richer than the Maidenhall heiress. Miserly merchant Perkin Maidenhall is to Elizabethan England what John D. Rockefeller was to 20th-century America. And his daughter Axia, whom he has never met, stands to inherit the whole enchilada. But can a rich heiress ever find true love? Can she ever be sure that the hard-muscled thighs between her 16th-century sheets have been attracted by hot passion and not cold cash? Playing God (as the reader finally learns), the omniscient and omnipotent merchant intends to make sure that his daughter marries for love. He betroths Axia to a wealthy but impotent Yorkshireman, then hires penniless but startlingly handsome Jamie Montgomery, Earl of Dalkeith, to escort her across England. Poor Axia, who has spent her whole life cloistered away, with only Tode, a deformed young man, and Frances, her beautiful but shallow cousin, as companions, has never known any real freedom. The spirited girl switches identities with Frances for the trip?unbeknownst to Jamie, who has been given the last Montgomery pennies in order to seduce the heiress. Poor, honorable Jamie is torn between his growing devotion to Axia and his responsibility to marry for money. Lots of predictable filler before he discovers that his loss is his gain. Reliable Deveraux, if not her best.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
Jamie Montgomery is hired by Perkin Maidenhall to escort his daughter safely across Europe so that she may be married. It seems like a simple task, until Jamie's sisters Berengaria and Joby come up with their own plan. Despite several titles, Jamie is not a wealthy man and his family is suffering. Berengaria and Joby know that any woman would be attracted to the beautiful Jamie-- and they think he should get the Maidenhall heiress to fall in love with him. Once married, Jamie will be a wealthy man and able to support his family. Jamie protests, but with two determined sisters and his own pride undermining him, he agrees to their plan and sets out to win the heiress. Axia Maidenhall has lived all her life isolated and protected from the outside world. Men are constantly asking for her hand in marriage-- not because she is beautiful but because she is the Maidenhall heiress. Now, as her wedding to a man she's never met approaches, she finds herself longing for a small taste of freedom-- to be able to be herself, loved or hated for who she is and not for how much money she has. When Jamie mistakes her beautiful, well dressed cousin Frances for the heiress, Axia convinces Frances to go along with her plan. For the duration of their journey, Frances will be the Maidenhall heiress and Axia will be her poor cousin. It's a perfect plan-- but she doesn't count on falling in love with Jamie. Pretending to be someone she isn't is more difficult than Axia anticipated. More than once she foils Jamie's attempts to court Frances. She wants to tell him who she is, but then he will only want her for her money. Marrying for money is Jamie's goal-- but his heart has other plans.Jude Deveraux proves once again that she is a master storyteller! Deveraux fans will be thrilled with The Heiress! An enchanting, entertaining love story! If you've never read Jude Deveraux, you don't know what romance is! She captivates the reader with her fascinating characters and intriguing plots! The Heiress is Jude Deveraux at her best! You will love this book!Kristina Wright -- Copyright ยฉ 1994-97 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times