The story takes place after Napoleon has been sent into exile, and concludes when he escapes and his troops are conquered once more. Petronella is a spunky heroine who gets a job as a governess to get away from her controlling guardian. There is an intriguing side-story about her employer, Madame de Courcys, who is abused by her husband and may die if she once again becomes pregnant. The tension about the resolution of this other story was one of the things that made this book a page-turner. Although the spying angle was a bit hard to believe(the heroine just stumbles onto a plot to kill Wellington, and is able to spy on the traitors several times), it did make for a reason for her to get together again with the hero, Lord Claverton. I liked the fact that Lord Claverton was attracted to the heroine from the start of the book, and decides to pursue her. There were some funny scenes when the heroine tells some "whoppers" to get her way, and to extricate herself from some sticky situations. The hero appreciates her spunk and her sense of humor. My only complaint is that the hero and the heroine don't get to spend enough time together to have their romance fully played out, but despite that, it was an enjoyable read and I would like to read more by this author.
