The Tiger's Lady — Christine Scheel

When The Honorable Captain Jordan Ashworth, of the HMS Tiger, receives orders to transport Miss Catherine Darrington from Lisbon back to London to marry his fop of a brother, Frederick, Viscount Ashworth, he is overcome with incredulity then disgust. At twenty-three and almost ?on the shelf?, Catherine reluctantly obeys her overbearing father and agrees to marry Lord Ashworth, but secretly dreads it. Once on board the Tiger, Catherine is drawn to the enigmatic and dangerous Captain Ashworth, but finds herself caught up in a web of espionage and intrigue when a packet of vital dispatches go missing. Both Catherine and Jordan become ensnared in a desperate hunt to find the papers before they fall into the hands of a smuggling ring. The twisted trail leads them straight to Catherine's betrothed...or does it?