Reviewer Comments: Dionysus has destroyed her life on two occasions, so believes Elsbeth. So she tries to discover who Dionysus really is so she can expose him to the world.
Elsbeth, Lady Mercer, is a widow and thankful her debauched and vicious husband is dead. Her husband died on the battlefield, is considered a hero but little does the ton know of what Elsbeth has been through in her marriage. It is at the famous painter Dionysus’s latest exhibition, a nude painting creates a stir among the ton especially when they realize it is Elsbeth displayed for all to see. Elsbeth has to get her reputation back and seeks the help of the Marquess of Edgeware. Elsbeth has many other secrets that the Marquess is eventually able to determine all the while keeping his own.
Nigel, Marquess of Edgeware, is determined he will not die young like his father and his grandfather but he is coerced into saving the reputation of Lady Mercer. The Marquess is not known for his need to be in the public eye and usually pursues his goals out of the limelight. This changes when he needs to save Elsbeth’s reputation. While trying to save Elsbeth from the ton gossips, the Marquess realizes very quickly that he is the target of many attempts upon his life and does what he can to avoid becoming the late Marquess but who can he trust? Initially he thinks Elsbeth is like her husband but soon comes to realize he is much mistaken in his assumption about her.
Elsbeth has to deal with the Marquess and his attempts to make her his own. She doesn’t want to be married and the angst is there for the reader to feel. Once Elsbeth has revealed the secret of her marriage, Nigel changes his tack but still she feels she is being railroaded into the relationship. Nigel also discovers his cousin’s role in Elsbeth’s life and makes an irrevocable decision.
There were many twists in this tale as the possible murderers were lined up after each attempt on Elsbeth or Nigel’s life. The secondary characters add flavour to story and with the interaction with the main characters it makes the twists more interesting. As a reader, I was certainly turning the pages until the different threads were resolved, some of which I guess and others I didn’t until just before the characters found out the secret.
