Rowland Manning is the illegitimate brother of one of Elizabeth's closest friends. Despite his hatred for members of society, he has established a business which depends on their buying from him. His stable business is deep in debt. The army contracted for 8200 horses which are eating their heads off in the country while the country celebrates the defeat of Napoleon.

General Pymm promises to pay for the horses if Manning will stop protecting Elizabeth. Rowland is convinced that he has no compassion for the suffering of others. However, Elizabeth will work his way past his walls he has erected around his emotions.

While Manning seeks to protect his business from foreclosure, he will also seek to protect Elizabeth from the hands of a mad man.

In bringing the widow trilogy to a close, Sophia Nash has written a compelling and disturbing story. The character of Elizabeth is that of a warm-hearted young woman who suffers from the attentions of a man obsessed. The reader will feel a great deal of sympathy for her as she struggles to do what is best. SECRETS OF A SCANDALOUS BRIDE was very hard for me to read. The topic of obsession is very disturbing. I loved the first couple of books in the trilogy but this one had too much angst for me.

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