Read as part of an ebook set: [b:The Famous Heroine / The Plumed Bonnet|9349851|The Famous Heroine / The Plumed Bonnet (Dark Angel #3-4)|Mary Balogh|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320418404s/9349851.jpg|14233230].Early Balogh is not as good as later, but even so these are sweet, enjoyable stories. As I understand it, the Dark Angel series (no idea what that name is supposed to imply) is about four friends who embark upon forced, or nearly forced, marriages to women they don't love, or who don't love them. Naturally, they all end up happy.
In The Famous Heroine, Cora Downes rescues a duke's young nephew from drowning in Bath and is brought to London by the grateful grandmother. Since Cora is a wealthy Bristol merchant's daughter, she is clearly out of her element, but the ton, is intrigued by her heroism (and her dowry) and is rather accepting of her anyway. Lord Francis Kneller, a friend of the duke's, agrees to help squire her about to meet an eligible husband, and they become good friends. Because Lord Francis dresses in lace and bright colors, like a dandy (a macaroni, perhaps?), while all the other gentlemen have adopted Beau Brummel's austere look, Cora assumes that he is probably a man who does not perfer women. (It's rather odd that Cora even knows about such things and that she's so accepting of him, but hey it's Romancelandia.) Purely by accident, he compromises her in public, twice, and feels honor-bound to offer for her. Why she accepts is never entirely clear, except that she likes him and enjoys his company. They hie off to the country; misunderstandings ensue; happiness results.
