Miss Ophelia Hardesty nourishes no intentions of ever getting married. In order to achieve this goal as a member of the gentry, she had to go to considerable lengths. These included making herself as plain as possible. This was to no avail. She was quite good looking and had a considerable dowry. She was indeed bookish but this was of no consequence, since most of the gentlemen she met were not overly bright. She’d tried letting herself be known as a dedicated flirt, but that meant gentlemen found her excessively attractive. She had no choice but rudeness. Which worked, when the gentleman was canny enough to take the hint. What she hadn't taken into account was someone she'd known since childhood returned home from adventures abroad eager to foil her plans.
