Stranger at the Grove Free online reading

An estranged brother is forced to return to his home and face up to his past.

Malcolm Gage walked out of his brother’s life 16 years ago when they both wanted to marry the same woman. Malcolm lost that battle, and he’s never forgiven his brother for it, preferring to live in poverty as a schoolmaster, rather than swallow his pride and go home. But now an unusual condition in a will pushes him back into the family fold. If he can teach his nephew well enough to admit him to the Society of Gentleman Linguists, he will inherit a fortune and will never be poor again. The only catch - he has to stay under his brother’s roof for three months.

But there’s an unexpected benefit to his return to Great Maeswood, in the delightful shape of Marie Fournier, a French lady’s maid. She speaks no English, and no one else in the village has bothered to get to know her. But Malcolm sees in her a kindred spirit, another outsider, and recruits her to help him with his teaching. As he gets to know her better, however, he begins to wonder if she’s all she seems to be....

This is a complete story with a happy ever after. Book 2 of a six-book series. A traditional Regency romance, drawing room rather than bedroom.