Book excerpt: Faced with the choice of marriage to the odious Dan Thorpe or being whipped into submission by her new stepmother, Melissa is in despair. Thankfully, she takes the role of lady's maid to her friend Cheryl, who must pay a most reluctant visit to her guardian, Sergius, Duke of Aldwick, a hero of Waterloo. The deception unmasked, Melissa is soon engaged in a succession of verbal duels with this cynical woman-hater.