His Darling Friend: A Touches 0f Austen Novella Book 2

He's known her for her whole life, but he's never thought of her like this until now.House parties are notoriously dangerous for the gentleman who wishes to remain single, and Roger Shelton would be avoiding the one at the Abernathys' if it wasn't his best friend's birthday.Victoria Hamilton is only attending the Abernathys' house party to please her mother. She has no thought of finding a husband amongst the hopeful gentlemen in attendance. In fact, she expects that the party will be rather dull. However, when her friend arrives, boredom becomes the least of her worries.While Roger is not ready to give up his bachelor ways just yet, he's not opposed to helping others find their way to marital bliss–especially, if that someone is a marriage-minded miss who seems to be fond of him. Therefore, when Roger enlists Victoria's help in his matchmaking scheme, he only means to keep himself safe from being caught in the parson's trap.However, his intentions change along the way, when he discovers that avoiding marriage is the last thing he wants to do for there is a lady who has long held his heart. It is a realization that has been a long time coming, but with schemers playing their games, is it a realization which is made too late?