The Virgin Who Vindicated Lord Darlington
Series: The Swooning Virgins Society #2
Author: Anna Bradley
Published February 2nd 2021 by Lyrical Press

Goodreads Synopsis
As the women of the Clifford Charity School for Wayward Girls fearlessly bring corrupt aristocrats to justice, they put their lives—and their hearts—on the line...

Going undercover as a governess is a first for Cecilia Gilchrist. But once she's installed in Darlington Castle, discovering whether the mysterious marquess murdered his wife proves more daunting than she imagined. Dashing widower Gideon Rhys, Marquess of Darlington, is clearly harboring secrets—but is it possible a cold-blooded killer lurks behind his devastating gaze? Trailing his every move only brings her closer to him. But if her heart misleads her, she could pay with her life...

He never should have let her into his world, but now that Cecilia has infiltrated his home, his senses, and his heart, Gideon will do anything to keep her safe from the darkness that has robbed him of everything. Yet keeping her close only makes it more challenging. For the more Gideon falls for Cecilia, the greater the danger to her...
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher, via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Cecelia Gilchrist doesn't really understand why she's been chosen to go undercover as a housemaid in Darlington Castle, the home of the Marquess of Darlington, who is presumed to have murdered his late wife. Though she's an ex-student of the Clifford School, she thinks her friends may have better chance of discovering the truth, but she puts her faith in Lady Clifford's hands, and makes a go of it. As soon as she arrives, she locks heads with Gideon Rhys, the Marquess himself, and is dismissed no less than three times - but she refuses to leave. Because of Gideon's upcoming wedding, she needs to find out the truth quickly, and when she becomes nursemaid to Gideon's adorable four year old niece, Isabella, she's even less inclined to leave. But, the longer she spends at Darlington Castle, with Gideon, she realises he could never have killed his wife, and, even more worryingly, she's falling for him. Can they work out the truth behind the ghost who 'haunts' the castle, and be able to clear Gideon's name, once and for all?

I started this book straight after I finished the first in the series, and though I loved it, I was a little gutted with how little we saw of the others in the series - especially Sophia and Tristan. However, this one has definitely set the scene for book 3, which I can't wait to get into. In this book, anyway, we see Cecelia, who is slightly more soft-hearted, but just as feisty as Sophia, as she works to discover the truth about the late Marchioness of Darlington's death, and put an end to the murder rumours floating around - if possible. She doesn't get off to an auspicious start, but soon ingratiates herself in the household, and becomes indispensable to Lord Darlington. Little Lady Isabella just loves Cecelia, and Cecelia loves her back, and even if Gideon could force himself to send Cecelia away, he wouldn't do it to Isabella. Though Gideon is marrying in a few short weeks, to a young lady who seems to be able to face the idea of marrying a perceived murderer, he doesn't care for her at all, and can't keep his mind off Cecelia. And then there's also the issue of a 'ghost' haunting the town and his estate, forcing servants away, and keeping up the murder claims even after time has passed. Like in book 1, the mystery kept me gripped, and though this time around I worked out who the culprit was, it didn't lessen the enjoyment at all. Rather, I think I preferred this book to the previous one, somewhat, perhaps because of the way Gideon and Cecelia interacted with each other, and the love and affection they had for the other, and for Isabella. They quickly formed a little family within the household, even when it seemed like all was against them and they wouldn't be able to be together. Luckily, I've got a copy of book 3 already to read, as the little mentions of Lord Haslemere and Georgiana make me think it may be even better than the previous books! Another fantastic story from an author I'm so glad I've discovered!

Dates Read:
April 4, 2021

Rating
4 Stars