Lord Nightingale's Christmas

the long version

Neil Spelling, man-about-town and desirable bachelor, is in a pickle. He has fallen desperately in love with Lady Alice, but her father, the Duke of Sotherland, calls him a dunderhead and unsuitable for a son-in-law. Now an intimate holiday house party may provide the perfect occasion for Neil to appear dashing, daring, and irresistibly darling. If only a stranger hadn't intruded, a sinister plot hadn't developed, and the irascible Lord Nightingale hadn't piped up. Lovely Lady Alice doesn't know what to make of Mr. Spelling! In town he is so polished, and now he appears so shy. Worse, Lord Nightingale is making him a mockery. What is a lady to do? Lady Alice is ready to offer a kiss when an unexpected guest makes her tremble. Villainy is afoot during this Yuletide, and Mr. Spelling may prove a hero if discord can be ended, a father's heart softened, and love is able to conquer all with a Christmas surprise!