Lord Whitsnow and the Seven Orphans

Young ladies should not ask bachelor earls for help. Young ladies should not accept propositions from aforementioned earls. Young ladies certainly should not stay with earls in their country homes, even with chaperones consisting of one other young lady and seven orphans. Miss Lucy Butterworth knows all this, but she accepted the proposition, and now the earl wants to marry her. And the earl is so handsome, and so perfect, and so upstanding (in more ways than one). Unfortunately, Lucy is far from perfect, and if the earl finds out her secrets, she'll be ruined. * * * Robert Beresford, the Earl of Whitsnow, knows he should not have propositioned Miss Butterworth, but she was the answer to his prayers. Pretty; intelligent; and, well, there. She would save him from the dreaded marriage mart. He's an earl for goodness sake. Why would she not marry him? His valet assures Robert that the maids think he is good-looking. As Robert gets to know Miss Butterworth, and the seven orphans she has in tow, he becomes more intrigued and a little infatuated. Is there more to her interest in orphans than just a desire to do good? Why does a single young lady refuse such a good match? And why does she need a lot of money in a hurry? Do the orphans hold the key to her secrets? And can Lucy resurrect the feelings of his previously inanimate heart?