Splendid

by Julia Quinn Book 1 in the Splendid Trilogy series.

First published 1995

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2.5(5)

American heiress Emma Dunster visits London determined to enjoy independence before returning to help manage her father’s business. After disguising herself as a maid for an outing, she rescues a child and is mistaken by Alexander Ridgely, Duke of Ashbourne, for a servant.

The misunderstanding creates an attraction complicated by rank, nationality and Emma’s refusal to treat marriage as her only possible future. The first Splendid novel contrasts British aristocratic assumptions with the confidence of an American woman accustomed to greater practical responsibility.