Samantha is the daughter of the late vicar and has managed to stay in the vicarage past when she would typically have to vacate for the next occupant. She is the village healer, and the people call on her at all hours whenever they need help. One night she was awakened by someone pounding on her door, but it wasn't a villager. Instead, it was a man who demanded the keys to the Aylebourough vault. Sam refused to hand them over to an unknown person, and the resulting confrontation was full of sparks.
Yale is the younger son of the late Duke and was disinherited by his father. Furious and determined to prove his father wrong, Yale spent the last eleven years building a successful business as a shipowner and trader. When he arrived back in England, ready to confront his father, he was devastated to hear that his father was dead. He refused to believe it until he saw the proof of his father's grave.
I loved the first meeting between Sam and Yale. Yale may be an impressive man, but Sam has the backbone to stand up to him. She did not give in easily to his demands and still managed to hold her own after she did. Things became even more complicated when he came down with influenza while staying at the inn. She ended up with Yale at the vicarage as she cared for him, after a very disturbing scene with the innkeeper and villagers. I didn't like the villagers then, and I liked them even less later. They are a selfish and hypocritical group. They continued their ways when, in a pretty funny scene, a disoriented and very naked Yale wandered into a room full of the women who had come to see Sam. I thought the speed with which they insisted on Yale marrying Sam was more for their own benefit than any real concern for her. Meanwhile, Yale, who had given a fake name, stepped up to do the right thing but did so still using the false name. He was quite willing to do whatever necessary to take care of her but planned to simply marry her, set her up with her own home, then leave England and not come back. His plans were upended by the unexpected arrival of his brother, who recognized Yale as the brother everyone thought had died at sea and exposed Yale's deception. The resulting remarriage scene was hilarious.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Yale and Sam. The sparks were there from the start. Yale was both intrigued and frustrated by Sam's innocence and stubbornness, and bowled over by the passion he discovered in her. Sam could see past the façade to the man who still carried the hurt of his father's rejection. What appeared to be a promising start to their relationship was derailed by his brother's arrival and subsequent attempts to keep Yale in England. I liked Sam's understanding of the conflicts between Yale and Wayland, and how she tried to make them both see the other's point of view, though she first fell victim to Wayland's persuasiveness. It didn't take long for her to realize the depth of her feelings for Yale, and the heartbreak of her future without him loomed large. I liked the advice she received that was pretty much of the "if you love something set it free" variety. Yale resisted his feelings for Sam, believing that he doesn't know what love is and therefore can't give it to her. His "aha" moment was quite lovely as he found that he didn't want to look at a future without her in it. When his business experienced a devastating blow, he discovered just how far her love and support went to enabling him to face rebuilding. I loved seeing her put her foot down about her part in it. The epilogue was great.
Yale's relationship with his brother was a difficult one. As the child of his father's second wife, Yale had never really felt part of the family. Those feelings were a large part of Yale's actions as a youth, which I thought were a cry for attention. Wayland had certainly never put any effort into getting to know his much younger brother. Wayland had been in training as the heir, while Yale was mostly ignored. By the time Yale returned, Wayland had been the duke for several years. I admit to not liking him very much, even by the end. Wayland seemed much more interested in keeping Yale in England than in Yale living his own life. I couldn't understand how he thought Yale would accept working for Wayland when he was a successful businessman on his own. Wayland's attempts to use Sam in his manipulations bugged me, too. Yale still carried a great deal of resentment over his treatment in the past, which affected his interactions with Wayland. It took Sam's efforts to show Yale the importance of having a family for him to finally let go of those feelings and see his family for what they were. There were some lighter scenes with Wayland, such as his interactions with his sons, that gave me hope for a better relationship between him and Yale.
Yale is the younger son of the late Duke and was disinherited by his father. Furious and determined to prove his father wrong, Yale spent the last eleven years building a successful business as a shipowner and trader. When he arrived back in England, ready to confront his father, he was devastated to hear that his father was dead. He refused to believe it until he saw the proof of his father's grave.
I loved the first meeting between Sam and Yale. Yale may be an impressive man, but Sam has the backbone to stand up to him. She did not give in easily to his demands and still managed to hold her own after she did. Things became even more complicated when he came down with influenza while staying at the inn. She ended up with Yale at the vicarage as she cared for him, after a very disturbing scene with the innkeeper and villagers. I didn't like the villagers then, and I liked them even less later. They are a selfish and hypocritical group. They continued their ways when, in a pretty funny scene, a disoriented and very naked Yale wandered into a room full of the women who had come to see Sam. I thought the speed with which they insisted on Yale marrying Sam was more for their own benefit than any real concern for her. Meanwhile, Yale, who had given a fake name, stepped up to do the right thing but did so still using the false name. He was quite willing to do whatever necessary to take care of her but planned to simply marry her, set her up with her own home, then leave England and not come back. His plans were upended by the unexpected arrival of his brother, who recognized Yale as the brother everyone thought had died at sea and exposed Yale's deception. The resulting remarriage scene was hilarious.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Yale and Sam. The sparks were there from the start. Yale was both intrigued and frustrated by Sam's innocence and stubbornness, and bowled over by the passion he discovered in her. Sam could see past the façade to the man who still carried the hurt of his father's rejection. What appeared to be a promising start to their relationship was derailed by his brother's arrival and subsequent attempts to keep Yale in England. I liked Sam's understanding of the conflicts between Yale and Wayland, and how she tried to make them both see the other's point of view, though she first fell victim to Wayland's persuasiveness. It didn't take long for her to realize the depth of her feelings for Yale, and the heartbreak of her future without him loomed large. I liked the advice she received that was pretty much of the "if you love something set it free" variety. Yale resisted his feelings for Sam, believing that he doesn't know what love is and therefore can't give it to her. His "aha" moment was quite lovely as he found that he didn't want to look at a future without her in it. When his business experienced a devastating blow, he discovered just how far her love and support went to enabling him to face rebuilding. I loved seeing her put her foot down about her part in it. The epilogue was great.
Yale's relationship with his brother was a difficult one. As the child of his father's second wife, Yale had never really felt part of the family. Those feelings were a large part of Yale's actions as a youth, which I thought were a cry for attention. Wayland had certainly never put any effort into getting to know his much younger brother. Wayland had been in training as the heir, while Yale was mostly ignored. By the time Yale returned, Wayland had been the duke for several years. I admit to not liking him very much, even by the end. Wayland seemed much more interested in keeping Yale in England than in Yale living his own life. I couldn't understand how he thought Yale would accept working for Wayland when he was a successful businessman on his own. Wayland's attempts to use Sam in his manipulations bugged me, too. Yale still carried a great deal of resentment over his treatment in the past, which affected his interactions with Wayland. It took Sam's efforts to show Yale the importance of having a family for him to finally let go of those feelings and see his family for what they were. There were some lighter scenes with Wayland, such as his interactions with his sons, that gave me hope for a better relationship between him and Yale.
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