Thursday's Child — Barbara Hazard

It was quite impossible to be romantic in such an unromantic world...

At nine-and-twenty, Celia Anders considered herself too old for girlish jitters, but couldn't hide her excitement at her very first house party. Her loving but lonely life, being raised by a scholarly uncle, had answered few romantic dreams.

William Welburn, Viscount Drummond, was a walking romantic idyll. Celia was quite puzzled -- and thrilled -- that he had singled her out for his attentions, given the more accomplished ladies of the party. But their infatuation was soon challenged by a strange turn of events at the house party and by astounding gossip about Celia's mysterious past. Drummond would have to convince Celia that it was not her past but her future he was most interested in -- and, with luck, it would be a very romantic one at that.