The Duel

Author: Barbara Metzger
Published: February 2005 (Signet)
Category: Regency Romance
Quote of Choice: Ah, the poor lass, wed to a nobleman of ancient lineage, with four houses, more money than the prince—although everyone has more money than the prince, these days—and looks good enough to turn the eye of a blind woman. My, how she will suffer.
Rating: 9/10

Ian, Earl of Marden, made the mistake of sleeping with the wrong married woman. He finds himself involved in a duel with the offended husband, Lord Paige. Because Ian was in the wrong for being indiscreet, he planned on shooting into the air rather than at the body. However, Lord Paige was a coward and shot at Ian when his back was still turned. Ian still fired into the air, but injured an innocent bystander for all his niceness.

He brings the boy, Troy Renslow, back to his townhouse for medical care. He manages to tell Ian that his sister Attie (Athena) and someone named Roma can't be left by themselves. Ian, being completely guilty about what happened rushes to bring the boy's sister and nursemaid to his home. However, it turns out that Roma is an ill-behaved mutt with a penchant for chewing off boot tassles, such as the ones on Ian's boots. Because Attie is so petite, Ian thinks she's still in the schoolroom. Once he finds out she's actually nineteen, he realizes the potential scandal at hand.

Ian tries to fix the hole he keeps digging deeper for himself by asking his mother and sister to stay with Attie in his bachelor pad. Circumstances prevent them from making the journey right away, so Ian gets his best friend Carswell to dress up as a large woman. It's hilarious in that exuberant Mrs. Doubtfire kind of way.

While all this is happening, Attie is being pursued by an unwanted suitor, a Mr. Wiggs, who is actually Troy's tutor. He's a reverend without a parish and wants to marry Attie for her dowry and her connections as the sister of a viscount. He's an odious little man, preaching on Attie's careless behavior regarding her reputation, and he's willing to overlook her transgressions and continue courting her if she leaves Troy's bedside right away. Attie shoots Wiggy down rather smartly, as there never was an official suit or relationship to her anyways. He wasn't so clean himself either, because he takes up with the notorious Lady Paige after his dismissal, and all of London knows that she's a big tart.

When the rest of Ian's family arrives, he is pushed by his mother and sister to marry Attie for the honorable reason and for the way everyone has noticed Ian and Attie's attraction to one another. Ian has to spend time convincing Attie that he wants to marry her for more than just the honorable reason because she doesn't want to marry someone who doesn't really want her. He eventually comes through, but when Attie finds out the truth that Ian shot Troy (by accident), she denies him the marriage bed. Everyone comes together to get to the bottom of the duel-gone-awry, discovering that Ian's shot embedded itself into the tree, so the shot that hit Troy was from another pistol.

This was regency romance at its finest. I loved it and will be reading more Barbara Metzger in the future. Thankfully she's got a large backlist.