Green Fire by Stephanie James

the feeling you're already taking sides in this story?"
    "Because I am."
    "Yeah, well, Sara met her match when she was introduced to Robert."
    "Who was Robert?"
    "A brash young sea captain from Boston. He was in England to settle the estate of a distant relative. While he was there he met Sara and immediately fell for her. Sara apparently found him quite a novelty. An amusing change from the soft, pampered males she was accustomed to seeing in society. She turned on the charm, and presumably the ring, and Robert was soon dancing at the end of her string. Apparently she got a kick out of shocking her parents and friends by being seen with him at some of the best social functions."
    "A lady has to take her pleasures where she can," Rani said commiseratingly.
    Flint frowned. "Sara found Robert amusing and useful for causing all sorts of interesting commotion, but she was very much aware of her status. She had no intention of going too far and finding herself compromised."
    "There's that word again. Compromised," Rani repeated thoughtfully. "An outmoded word. No longer applicable in today's society."
    "Well, it was still applicable back then. Sara knew perfectly well she might have been obliged to marry Robert if she went too far in her fun and games. So she kept things under control."
    "With the aid of the ring?"
    Flint exhaled slowly. "So the story goes. Who knows? At any rate, Sara kept Robert dancing at a discreet distance, close enough to tantalize him, but not so close that she would find herself in an untenable situation."
    '' Robert tolerated this treatment?''
    "Until Livermore appeared on the scene."
    Rani smiled. "Who's Livermore?"
    "A gentleman with a title as good as the one held by Sara's family. He decided Sara would make the perfect bride. Her family was ready to marry off Sara, and Lord Livermore looked like a viable candidate as a husband for their daughter. The perfect match."
    "How did Sara feel about all this?"
    "Oh, she agreed with her family. It was an excellent match. Livermore was reasonably good-looking and in the right age bracket. He had good estates and lots of horses. Sara was very fond of hunting. She was quite happy with the marriage proposal and was on the verge of accepting it when the truth came to light. Lord Livermore was virtually bankrupt. He wanted Sara for her money."
    "Where was Robert while all this was going on?" Rani asked.
    "The poor guy was trying to convince Sara to forget her grand marriage plans and run off to America with him, of course. Sara found the idea laughable. She had no intention of banishing herself to the uncivilized wilds of North America, even though she was very attracted to Robert."
    "A woman has to look after her own future. Robert undoubtedly appeared to be a high risk."
    "Undoubtedly," Flint agreed neutrally. "Well, things got messy when Sara's family turned down Lord Livermore's marriage proposal. He arranged to kidnap Sara and hold her for a few days at his hunting lodge in Scotland."
    "After which," Rani said knowledgeably, "she would have found herself thoroughly compromised and more or less obliged to marry the evil lord."
    "Exactly. Enter our hero, Robert, to the rescue. He discovered Livermore's plans at the last minute and raced off to rescue Sara. He caught up with the coach, which was on its way to the border, fought a duel with Lord Livermore and rescued Sara. Robert had her safely delivered back into her family's hands before morning. Her honor was saved."
    "What about Livermore?" Rani demanded.
    "He spent several weeks recovering from his wounds."
    "Oh. In other words, he was out of the picture. Did Sara fall madly in love with the brave Robert?"
    "Not quite. Robert made the tactical mistake of telling Sara exactly what he thought of her high-handed, arrogant manners during the trip back to her family's home the night he rescued her. He was rather blunt about it and implied she was a selfish, spoiled young lady who needed a firm hand on the