Lord Vere suggests Lady Kingsley hold a house party at her home near the Douglas estate. Once there, they arrange for the house to be overrun with rats; forcing them to beg hospitality from the Mr. Douglas.

All goes according to plan until Lord Vere meets Miss Elissande Edgerton. She is the woman of his dreams, and she is going to see him in his public persona.

When Lord Vere was recruited to work for the Crown, he knew he would need to adopt mannerisms which would make it so no one would suspect what he was doing. He used a head injury, sustained when he was thrown from a horse, to assume the guise of a man who talks constantly about everything and yet knows nothing about anything.

Miss Elissande Edgerton is determined to get her aunt and herself away from her uncle. Edmund Douglas is a cold- hearted and evil man who torments anyone within his control. She knows that any infraction of his multitude of rules will result in an extremely effective punishment.

When Lady Kingsley begs for her help until the rats can be removed from her home, Elissande sees an opportunity for escape. She invites everyone in and then sets out to capture herself a husband. At first, she believes Lord Vere's act until she begins to suspect the deception.

As Lord Vere struggles to discover the truth about her uncle, he must hide his growing attraction to Elissande. Elissande has been given one shot to remove her aunt and herself from her uncle's control, will she be able to do whatever is necessary to make it happen?

This was a very good book peopled with interesting characters and unusual scenarios. There is an element of real danger that is not explained until near the very end which keeps the reader interested the whole way. Ms. Thomas includes some very dark characters but the story is well-balanced, with just enough humor to keep me reading without feeling overwhelmed. I would highly recommend this book.

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