In the beautiful county of Hertfordshire, the Lady Charlotte Radcliffe has reached the imminent age of marriage. Her father, the estimable Lord Radcliffe, who is in poor health, has proclaimed she must marry a suitor within forty-five minutes of their estate so as not to unduly grieve her mother. When they draw up a list of suitable suitors for her, Charlotte is delighted to find the recent widower, the Earl of Buckland on top of their list. Believing a good marriage is more of station and security than attraction or love, Charlotte proceeds with her parents' plan to make her the Earl’s second wife. Yet when Guy Lancaster, the family’s former tutor, unexpectedly arrives in Hertfordshire, he laughs at her geographical approach to marriage and challenges her to let her heart, and not her lists, decide her future.
The Trouble With The Earl is a lighthearted, sweet Regency romance that takes place in the same towns and neighborhoods where Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy live, who make appearances in the novella. In the spirit of the time frame, it is a genteel romance where only the tea is steamy.
