How to Marry a Marquis
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- Create Date：2021-07-24 08:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Julia Quinn
- ISBN：0349430594
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Summary
She’s trying to follow the rules…
When Elizabeth Hotchkiss stumbles upon a copy of How to Marry a Marquis in her employer’s library， she’s convinced someone is playing a cruel joke。 With three younger siblings to support， she knows she has to marry for money， but who might have guessed how desperate she’s become？ A guidebook to seduction might be just the thing she needs—and what harm could there be in taking a little peek？
…But he’s making his own
James Sidwell， the Marquis of Riverdale， has been summoned to rescue his aunt from a blackmailer， a task that requires him to pose as the new estate manager， and his primary suspect is his aunt’s companion， Elizabeth。 Intrigued by the alluring young woman with the curious little rulebook， he gallantly offers to help her find a husband… by practicing her wiles on him。 But when practice becomes all too perfect， James decides that there is only one rule worth following—that Elizabeth marry her marquis。
When Elizabeth Hotchkiss stumbles upon a copy of How to Marry a Marquis in her employer’s library， she’s convinced someone is playing a cruel joke。 With three younger siblings to support， she knows she has to marry for money， but who might have guessed how desperate she’s become？ A guidebook to seduction might be just the thing she needs—and what harm could there be in taking a little peek？
…But he’s making his own
James Sidwell， the Marquis of Riverdale， has been summoned to rescue his aunt from a blackmailer， a task that requires him to pose as the new estate manager， and his primary suspect is his aunt’s companion， Elizabeth。 Intrigued by the alluring young woman with the curious little rulebook， he gallantly offers to help her find a husband… by practicing her wiles on him。 But when practice becomes all too perfect， James decides that there is only one rule worth following—that Elizabeth marry her marquis。
Reviews
Julie
，
If Elizabeth hadn't gotten so annoying towards the end of this book I would've given this book five stars。 *Classic* Julia Quinn！ If Elizabeth hadn't gotten so annoying towards the end of this book I would've given this book five stars。 *Classic* Julia Quinn！ 。。。more
Sharran Lewis
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Funny and romantic。 Loved allthe characters in this book。
Jane Carlson
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Fun read。 Lots of drama。
Carrie O
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I'm a great fan of the Agents of the Crown set。 These two might be my most enjoyed to date。 And I love James。 I love his character and how the author has built him to be。 The fleshing out of Elizabeth's siblings was lovely， and I found myself laughing out loud all too often， which in my mind is a fabulous thing。 Lady Danbury has never been better。 This entire story made my heart sing。 Even the extra unnecessary discord between our lovers， prior to their reconciliation。 Well done， Julia Quinn！ I'm a great fan of the Agents of the Crown set。 These two might be my most enjoyed to date。 And I love James。 I love his character and how the author has built him to be。 The fleshing out of Elizabeth's siblings was lovely， and I found myself laughing out loud all too often， which in my mind is a fabulous thing。 Lady Danbury has never been better。 This entire story made my heart sing。 Even the extra unnecessary discord between our lovers， prior to their reconciliation。 Well done， Julia Quinn！ 。。。more
Abi Demina
，
A masterclass in how characters with zero motivation for their actions can entirely ruin a novel。It started off okay:Elizabeth is companion to the elderly Lady Danbury （a character Bridgerton fans will probably recognise）。 As the eldest of four orphaned siblings and the only adult， she has responsibility for feeding， clothing， and keeping her family together， and struggles to make ends meet on her salary alone。 Deciding the only option is to marry an affluent gentleman， she 'borrows' a book from A masterclass in how characters with zero motivation for their actions can entirely ruin a novel。It started off okay:Elizabeth is companion to the elderly Lady Danbury （a character Bridgerton fans will probably recognise）。 As the eldest of four orphaned siblings and the only adult， she has responsibility for feeding， clothing， and keeping her family together， and struggles to make ends meet on her salary alone。 Deciding the only option is to marry an affluent gentleman， she 'borrows' a book from Lady Danbury's library called How to Marry a Marquis， full of rules and etiquette designed to attract a wealthy husband， and Elizabeth tries these out on the ineligible-because-he's-poor estate manager， so that she can more easily attract a rich man when one comes along。Meanwhile， Lady Danbury's nephew， James Sidwell， Marquis of Riverdale， has been requested by her to stay at her house in disguise as the new estate manager， to investigate a blackmail。 He is an ex-spy for the Crown and experienced in undercover investigations （although we see nothing of these supposed skills， just FYI）。 He's also tired of being hunted for his fortune。James and Elizabeth are attracted to each other， but he can't be honest about his identity because he's trying to be incognito， and she thinks it's a lost cause falling for him because he isn't wealthy enough to save her family。So far， we're all set for a pleasant regency romp。 But then it all goes downhill。There are a few too many chapters of them lusting for each other and thinking how unsuitable it would be （her）， how the timing is bad （him）， and this gets old pretty fast。They kiss a bunch， fool around， confess their deepest fears and family issues and James rescues her from an attempted rape （which apparently doesn't affect her in any way except that she suddenly discovers the need to cry about her dead father）。Finally， James's identity as a Marquis is discovered by Elizabeth and the story becomes utterly ridiculous。Elizabeth， who was only worried about being attracted to James because he has no money， discovers he actually does have money and flips the F out。 She is all "waaah， you lied to me， you made a fool of me， you don't really love me， you're asking me to marry you because you want to make more of a fool out of me！" and on and on with so much nonsense I wanted to stab her。She doesn't let him explain for what felt like years of my life， and he gets rightfully angry， but decides he needs to apologise and grovel anyway， because he loves her even though she's turned into an evil b*tch for no reason。People sympathise with Elizabeth over James's heinous behaviour in falling in love with her and offering her a wealthy marriage。 Really？ Again， normal people would be telling her to get over herself and stop being an ungrateful tool （or something more regency sounding）。On discovering that James anonymously sent her and her family a gift of money to enable her younger brother to attend Eton and to alleviate the necessity for her to marry well and give her freedom of choice in a husband， she ignores her family's needs， their hunger and pauper meals of turnips they all hate， the fact her brother is crying because he can't go to school， and instead she shreds the banker's draft into tiny pieces because her pride is hurt。 Sure。As I said， none of the characters' actions make sense or have proper motivation at this point （and had very little motivation earlier， if I'm honest。。。 e。g。 why would an unmarried girl agree to 'practice kissing' to attract a husband， in a time when being a virgin was considered a necessity by prospective husbands？ ffs）。 If someone you love is poor and later turns out to be rich and says 'hey I want to marry you'， a normal girl would be turning somersaults at her good fortune， not having a hissy fit and telling her siblings they have to starve and remain uneducated and dressed in rags because she is super angry about it。I lost all desire to read the end of the book because of all the ridiculous back-and-forth between the main characters at this point， but did so at double-speed simply to get through it for the sake of writing a complete review。 Needless to say， it doesn't get any better after that， and I no longer cared even a tiny bit about this idiot couple and how they resolve their non-issues to achieve a HEA。There is sex before marriage in this book， which I personally dislike in regency novels， unless there's a brilliant reason for an exception， like。。。 I dunno， being stranded on a desert island without a parson， maybe。 There wasn't a good reason for it here， just regular modern impatience and lust。So， yeah。 I give two stars for the beginning of the book， but the ending made me want to throw it through a window （except I was listening to it on audiobook and that would've involved hurling my blameless phone right along with it）。 。。。more
Ana Beatriz Machado
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*4。5
Elena MG
，
Toooooooo slow burn 😶😑
Sara
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really， really enjoyed this book， up until about three quarters of the way through it。 Once James’ true identity is revealed， Elizabeth turns from a smart and thoughtful character to one who only concerns herself with pride。 She wasn’t concerned with her pride when preparing to marry for money， but when approached to marry for money， that’s all she was concerned about。 This is the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars; the supporting cast in the book is truly entertaining， and I’d love to read I really， really enjoyed this book， up until about three quarters of the way through it。 Once James’ true identity is revealed， Elizabeth turns from a smart and thoughtful character to one who only concerns herself with pride。 She wasn’t concerned with her pride when preparing to marry for money， but when approached to marry for money， that’s all she was concerned about。 This is the only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars; the supporting cast in the book is truly entertaining， and I’d love to read more from her siblings’ points-of-view。 Overall， a very enjoyable read！ 。。。more
affectionate_orchid
，
This book started out great。 I mean it had Lady Danbury， one of my favorite characters of all time， and Elizabeth's character started out great as well。 I loved Elizabeth and James's banter and obviously Lady Danbury was amazing as usual。 Until， the whole debacle with James's identity。 Then I don't know what happened to Elizabeth。 She turned out to be TSTL。 I mean， she'd rather starve her siblings and squander her brother's chances of going to school over her pride？ It's not like James didn't ha This book started out great。 I mean it had Lady Danbury， one of my favorite characters of all time， and Elizabeth's character started out great as well。 I loved Elizabeth and James's banter and obviously Lady Danbury was amazing as usual。 Until， the whole debacle with James's identity。 Then I don't know what happened to Elizabeth。 She turned out to be TSTL。 I mean， she'd rather starve her siblings and squander her brother's chances of going to school over her pride？ It's not like James didn't have a good reason。 And I hated the whole identity reveal scene。 Blake and Caroline？ were just making things worse。 It was time for a good serious conversation and I think Julia Quinn ruined it by introducing humor to it。 Same with the scene when Lady Danbury came over to visit the cottage。 There were so many missed opportunities for a good heartwarming and cathartic conversation but the humor ruined it for me。 Don't get me wrong！ I know how Julia Quinn writes her novels。 I think I've read almost all her series， except the Duke of Wyndham one。 Humor is her go to。 But it went overboard in this story。 。。。more
E_Hache
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Muy divertido， en la línea de la autora。 Pero no puedo darle más puntuación porque no me gustó cómo se resolvió el conflicto final。 Los personajes de pronto empiezan a discutir y se vuelven muy irracionales y， pese a que desde el principio de la pelea queda claro el motivo de todos los secretos， la protagonista actúa como si hubiera un gran complot contra ella cuando ella tan solo ha sido un daño colateral。 Por no mencionar que él pierde los estribos y llega un punto en que todo se vuelve cruel Muy divertido， en la línea de la autora。 Pero no puedo darle más puntuación porque no me gustó cómo se resolvió el conflicto final。 Los personajes de pronto empiezan a discutir y se vuelven muy irracionales y， pese a que desde el principio de la pelea queda claro el motivo de todos los secretos， la protagonista actúa como si hubiera un gran complot contra ella cuando ella tan solo ha sido un daño colateral。 Por no mencionar que él pierde los estribos y llega un punto en que todo se vuelve cruel y desagradable， incluso violento a varios niveles。 Creo que podría haberse tratado de otra forma。 Los secundarios， como siempre， inmejorables。 。。。more
Joyce
，
Lady Danbury is the real matchmaker of this era！
Sian Cliff
，
Good readReally good read， nice and simple。 Perfect if you need a little escapism。 Nice to see Lady Danbury hasn't changed Good readReally good read， nice and simple。 Perfect if you need a little escapism。 Nice to see Lady Danbury hasn't changed 。。。more
Kate
，
This was the funniest book I’ve read in a long time。
N
，
Insta love， and a very mercurial and aggressive hero。 Unnecessarily dramatic。
Megan McBeath Hay
，
Awwwwwww she's so cute， okay that's not the right way to phrase that。 The main character has some pretty real concerns and responsibilities which is kind of refreshing in a Quinn book。 She has to keep her younger siblings fed and in a house， not just find a marriageable bachelor。 I like that this book wasn't stuck in the marriage mart of calls and parties。 Plus， added bonus， lots of Lady Danbury！ Lady Danbury as a person with feelings and schemes， and not just banging her stick on the ground and Awwwwwww she's so cute， okay that's not the right way to phrase that。 The main character has some pretty real concerns and responsibilities which is kind of refreshing in a Quinn book。 She has to keep her younger siblings fed and in a house， not just find a marriageable bachelor。 I like that this book wasn't stuck in the marriage mart of calls and parties。 Plus， added bonus， lots of Lady Danbury！ Lady Danbury as a person with feelings and schemes， and not just banging her stick on the ground and speaking her mind （oh there's that too）。 。。。more
Rae
，
I liked meeting Lady Danbury again， but felt like the climax was a little forced。 If the two characters just stopped for a moment and listened， things should have been fine。
Anna
，
EnchantingI love Julia quinn 。 Lady danbury is hilarious in her pursuit to get her nephew to see even by creating a blackmail scheme。 Great book
Anne
，
This was really cute until the end when the back and forth between the hero and heroine became ridiculous。Elizabeth is actively trying to find someone to marry。 Someone with enough money to take care of her and her younger siblings。 They were all orphaned a few years back and the funds are running low。 She's not mercenary， she just needs to take care of them and marriage is her only option at this point。 <--she already has a job as a companion to Lady Danbury and it ain't covering nearly enough This was really cute until the end when the back and forth between the hero and heroine became ridiculous。Elizabeth is actively trying to find someone to marry。 Someone with enough money to take care of her and her younger siblings。 They were all orphaned a few years back and the funds are running low。 She's not mercenary， she just needs to take care of them and marriage is her only option at this point。 <--she already has a job as a companion to Lady Danbury and it ain't covering nearly enough。Ok， so James has been called home by his Aunt Agatha （Lady Danbury） to help save her from a blackmail scheme。 He is unusually suited to this sort of work because he used to be a spy for the Crown。 However， he is also the Marquis of。。。nobodyfuckingcaresitisaromancenovel。Point is， he's got plenty of money and he needs to get married， but he's tired of all the ladies who only want him for his title。Fate （who goes by the name Agatha Danbury） throws these two kids together and the results are a mostly adorable regency romance。Elizabeth finds this book in Lady Danbury's library called How to Marry a Marquis and due to desperation， decides that it couldn't hurt to take a peek。 She eventually gets caught with it by James， who she thinks is Agatha's estate agent。 She's mortified， but James takes one peek at the laughable advice in the book and offers to help her by giving lessons on what men actually want in a woman。Now， James isn't just doing it to be nice。 Part of him is completely intrigued by Elizabeth and part of him thinks she might just be the blackmailer he's looking for。They are destined to fall in love！But then at the end， because you've gotta have a little conflict before you get your Happily Ever After， there's a big kerfuffle that drags on quite too long， in my very humble opinion。Elizabeth finds out that he's lied to her and he's not an estate agent。 Now， prior to this revelation， they've already opened up and told each other their darkest secrets， made out as much as you can in a regency romance， and promised to find a way to be together。 Thing is， James feels like he needs to find the blackmailer before telling her who he is。 <--this is due to nothing other than plot， as I don't see how she could have been put in danger by knowing his true identity。 The opposite was more likely， but whatever because it's a romance novel。Regardless， it shouldn't have mattered to her that he was a marquis。 I mean， sure。 She had a right to be confused or weirded out right up until he said let me explain， and then she really needed to stop squawking and let the dude talk。 She didn't do that。 Even though he never gave her a reason to think he was a cruel person， she just kept insisting that he was somehow mocking her by keeping his identity secret。 Thing is， she didn't want to fall for James initially BECAUSE she thought he was penniless， and now all of their problems are solved！What the fuck is wrong with you， girl？It would be like your boyfriend proposing marriage and then telling you that he'd just won the lottery。 Is your first instinct to get pissed off and throw the ring in his face？I think not。Ok。 THEN after waaaaay too many pages of people trying to explain that he's not a sleazeball and she's possibly overreacting， he tracks her down and begs her to marry him。 She finally agrees after he points out that he can provide for her siblings。 BUT then， like the world's floppiest dick， he resends the marriage offer because she didn't say she was agreeing to marry him for love。 <--yeah！ What the fuck？ Why even bring up that you can provide for her family if that isn't something you want to sway your pissed off， impoverished， slightly unhinged girlfriend to marry you！By this time， I was over both of these idiots。Yeah， yeah。 They （of course） get together at the end。 But all the cuteness that the vast majority of the book held was soured due to all the stupid at the end。The big reveal at the end that （view spoiler）[Lady Danbury wasn't really being blackmailed and had devised the whole thing as a way to get James & Elizabeth together was not even slightly surprising。 （hide spoiler）]Like， should I even bother to spoiler tag that？ Did anyone not see that coming from a mile away？However， this is a romance so I'm not deducting points for that。But at the very end， they pull it all out and have a cute little HEA。 And while I've been a bit bitchy， the vast majority of the book was filled with fluffy romance and snappy banter。Even with all the complaints， it is still definitely worth a read for any Julia Quinn fan。["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]> 。。。more
K Whatsherface
，
Mrs。 D is the best。 She is one of my favorite characters in Quinn books。 And if I'm honest， she is why I read this。 I think this was her first appearance。 I know this is one of Quinn's earlier novels。 I know it's not the first。 It is a sequel。 But I'm not sure if the other book in this series was and I'm to lazy to check right now。 If you're reading this assuming I did check and was to lazy to update this。 It's cute。 I have fun reading this。 I'll probably read the first book in this series at so Mrs。 D is the best。 She is one of my favorite characters in Quinn books。 And if I'm honest， she is why I read this。 I think this was her first appearance。 I know this is one of Quinn's earlier novels。 I know it's not the first。 It is a sequel。 But I'm not sure if the other book in this series was and I'm to lazy to check right now。 If you're reading this assuming I did check and was to lazy to update this。 It's cute。 I have fun reading this。 I'll probably read the first book in this series at some point but we'll see。 I think it's time for me to check out some Lisa Kleypas。 And now that I've wrote that here I'm committed。 Wallflowers here I come。 。。。more
Christina Sweeney-Baird
，
ADORED this。 James and Elizabeth make a gorgeous couple and it’s divine to see Lady Danbury at home rather than just terrifying the Bridgertons。
Alicia
，
One of my favorites 😍
Tracey Sessions
，
This was the funniest Julia Quinn book I have read and I really enjoyed it。
Acrcali
，
It’s all about Lady Danbury！ Elizabeth， our heroine， acted seemingly out of character （& contrary to her own goals） once the hero’s identity was revealed to her。 I’d have knocked it down a star for her dithering but I simply couldn’t resist Lady Danbury’s scheming and learning more about her。 This was one of Julia Quinn’s sillier novels but it worked because of the premise。
Laura
，
Fun and adorable from start to finish。
Roseane Suelen
，
É engraçado， fofo e empolgante。 Simplesmente não consegui parar de ler。Julia Quinn não decepciona。
Samantha
，
good romantic read。
Freeda Dordevic
，
Limunada 。。tra la la，opušta mozak i nema nimalo stresiranja i tenzije što može biti kul nekome :）Lemonade， tra la la， brain release and had no stressing amd tension which can be cool for someone :）
Marija
，
Four stars for Malcolm。 The histrionic misunderstandings at the end felt contrived。
Ashley
，
A good companion to the first book in the duology no need to read them in order but we do see our happy couple from the first one。 It was a fun story with spy antics the lovely lady danbarry。 Loved the hero and heroine。
Kristine Redona
，
I love love love this book。 James was here， Lady Danbury was here， Blake and Caroline were here， and our new character， Elizabeth was such a-freaking-dorable with James！Elizabeth Hotchkiss， the companion of the Lady Agatha Danbury。 （Apparently， that was the name of our famous Lady Danbury） She has been with Lady Danbury for years， and she has come to love the old woman after years of being together。And as it is human nature to adapt to their environment， Elizabeth has learned to adapt to Lady Da I love love love this book。 James was here， Lady Danbury was here， Blake and Caroline were here， and our new character， Elizabeth was such a-freaking-dorable with James！Elizabeth Hotchkiss， the companion of the Lady Agatha Danbury。 （Apparently， that was the name of our famous Lady Danbury） She has been with Lady Danbury for years， and she has come to love the old woman after years of being together。And as it is human nature to adapt to their environment， Elizabeth has learned to adapt to Lady Danbury， and become like her each day。 Lay Danbury loved her so very much because of it。 As well as James。The only problem was-- she had no money。 Their family was a noble one in name， but not in fortune。 With the demise of her parents， she was left with her three siblings in a small cottage house。 They were barely making ends meet， but her younger brother， being a titled nobleman that would later inherit the Hotchkiss Barony， Elizabeth needed money to be able to send her brother to University。It just so happened there was a drasted book called 'How to marry a Marquis' in Lady Danbury's library。 Elizabeth needed money， and the only way she could think of was to marry a wealthy man who could shoulder the expense of ending her brother to university。 She was reluctant at first！ But of course， desperate measures should be taken in desperate times。 So she read the book and was cajoled in practicing the rules in Lady Danbury's new estate manager called James Siddons。 Now that 'new estate manager' was actually Lady Danbury's niece， James Sidwell， the Marquis of Riverdale。That's right。 Marquis。 The irony。James was called back by his aunt in order to capture her 'blackmailer。' So， James went undercover as Mr。 James Siddons。 It was all fun and dandy until James started to suspect Elizabeth of being the blackmailer。 The amount of air I've laughed off was astronomical the moment I've read the part where everything cleared up。（view spoiler）[Mr。 Siddons’s hand closed around her arm again。 “You need money？” he demanded。Elizabeth rolled her eyes。 “Doesn’t everyone？”“I have plenty，” Lady D said。Her two employees whipped their heads around in unison and glared at her。“Well， it’s the truth，” she said， hmmphing loudly。“Why do you need money？” Mr。 Siddons asked softly。“That is none of your concern！”But Lady Danbury obviously thought it was， because she said， “It all started when—”“Lady Danbury， please！” Elizabeth shot her a pleading look。 It was hard enough to be so pressed for funds。 To have the countess shame her in front of a stranger…Lady Danbury seemed to realize—for once—that she had overstepped herself and closed her mouth。Elizabeth closed her eyes and let out a breath。 “Thank you，” she whispered。“I’m thirsty，” Lady D stated。“Right，” Elizabeth said， mostly to herself， although her words were loud enough for everyone to hear。 “The tea。”“What are you waiting for？” Lady Danbury demanded， thumping her cane。“A sainthood，” Elizabeth muttered under her breath。Mr。 Siddons’s eyes widened。 Oh， blast， he’d heard her。 She’d grown so used to being alone with Lady Danbury that she’d forgotten to watch what she whispered to herself。But Mr。 Siddons， to her great surprise， abruptly let go of her arm and started to cough。 And then， just when any normal person would have ceased， he doubled over， collapsed against the wall， and started coughing even more violently。Elizabeth’s antagonism gave way to concern as she leaned down。 “Are you all right？”He nodded hurriedly， without removing his hand from his mouth。“Has he something stuck in his throat？” Lady Danbury yelled。“I can’t imagine what，” Elizabeth replied。 “He wasn’t eating anything。”“Whack his back，” Lady D said。 “Whack it hard。”Mr。 Siddons shook his head and dashed out of the room。“Perhaps you should follow，” Lady Danbury suggested。 “And don’t forget to whack him。”Elizabeth blinked twice， shrugged her shoulders， and quit the room， thinking that whacking him on the back might prove to be a rather satisfying endeavor。 “Mr。 Siddons？” She looked left and right but didn’t see him。 “Mr。 Siddons？”And then she heard it。 Great big roars of laughter coming from around the corner（hide spoiler）]What I loved about this book is that the advantage of being a man was clearly seen in Elizabeth and James' situation。 Elizabeth， being a woman， had limited choices in gaining what she needed。 And most of those choices involve a man。 James however， being a man， can stand up on his own and make do with what he has simple because he is a man。（view spoiler）[ “When a man falls on hard times，” she said， “there are quite a number of things he may do， options he may pursue， to reverse his situation。 He may join the army， or sign on to a pirate ship。 He may look for work， as you have done。 He may use his charm and looks”—she shook her head and smiled reluctantly—“as I imagine you have also done。”“And a woman may not do these things？”“A woman looking for work does not have many options if she does not wish to leave her home。 A governess post might pay marginally better than a lady’s companion， but I doubt many employers would look too kindly upon my bringing Susan， Jane， and Lucas with me to live in the servants’ wing。”“Touché，” he said with an understanding nod。“And as for charm and looks， well， a woman can use those for three things。 She can go into the theater， she can become a man’s mistress， or she can marry。 As for me， I have no inclination or talent for acting and no wish to shame my family by entering into an illicit relationship。” She looked up at him and shrugged。 “My only choice is marriage。 That， I suppose， is what it means for a woman to be a survivor。”She paused， and the corners of her mouth quivered as if they didn’t know whether to attempt a smile or a frown。 “Rather distasteful， don’t you think？” （hide spoiler）]I also loved how James integrated himself into Elizabeth's family。 He became the first male figure in Lucas's （Elizabeth's brother） life。 It made me all teary-eyed。 Like girl！ There's just something about men and children。 They're magnetizing， heart-rendering， which makes you fall in love with them more。（view spoiler）[“No， no， no，” Elizabeth insisted， “it’s entirely different。 If you recall， I am the one who always cuts off the fish heads。 So clearly I am not squeamish。”“Then what’s the difference？” he prodded。“Yes，” Lucas said， crossing his arms and cocking his head in a perfect imitation of James， “what’s the difference？”“I don’t have to answer this！”James turned to Lucas and said behind his hand， “She knows she hasn’t a leg to stand on。”“I heard that！”Lucas just giggled。James exchanged a very male glance with the little boy。 “Women do tend to get annoyingly sentimental when it comes to small， furry creatures。”Elizabeth kept her eyes on the stove， pretending to fix the tea。 It had been so long since Lucas had met a man he could look up to and admire。 She worried constantly that she was depriving him of something important by raising him herself， with only sisters for company。 If she’d allowed any of her relations to take him in， he still wouldn’t have had a father， but at least he would have had an adult male in his life。 （hide spoiler）]Things were going oh so well。 Elizabeth was starting to fall for James， and James for her。 They were already planning their future together， and Elizabeth did not care anymore about finding a rich nobleman。 With James Siddons， she felt like she could take on everything coming her way。 That includes the fees to send her brother to college。 That was until Elizabeth accidentally discovered James' identity。It's not that Elizabeth knew。 James was undercover， looking for Lady Danbury's blackmailer in London。 So it's not Elizabeth's fault that she didn't know until the day she was planning her future with Mr。 James Siddons， the commoner estate manager。 It also wasn't James' fault that he had gone to London first before proposing and exposing his real identity to our Elizabeth。 It just that things happened at the wrong time and at the wrong place。Elizabeth is the breadmaker of the family。 Being the eldest， I can relate to the amount of responsibility she has- providing for her younger siblings， giving them food they could eat， and at the latest， send her younger brother to Eton in order to study。Maybe that's why I could feel my chest tightening whenever I read her interactions with her younger siblings。 She just want what's best for them。 It's just that she could not give what she thinks they deserve is best。 And her siblings knew that。 That also meant that she had pride。 So much pride that she denied James' request for her hand in marriage and the money that was anonymously sent to them。 She wasn't an idiot。 She knew it was from James， the Marquis of Riverdale。Did you know that Caroline and Blake made a cameo in this book？ They did！ And I'm so glad they did。Just like what James did back then， helping Blake have the guts to marry a certain lady called Caroline。 Blake and Caroline helped mend the misunderstanding between Elizabeth and James。 Elizabeth thought James took pity on her and decided to marry her because of that。 James was frustrated because the only thing he did was hide his title， and it suddenly became a big deal to Elizabeth as she kept denying his request in her hand in marriage。 It wasn't until they finally had the chance to talk （they could not do it because， well， their family is nosy as ever） that they knew。 They could not stomach marriage without knowing that the other loved them back。 They've gone back and forth， forth and back until Lady Danbury intervened。 Because of course， she is the Lady Danbury。 She is the fairy godmother of all godmothers。 （view spoiler）[“Are you done？” he asked in an insolent voice。“No，” she retorted。 She was angry and hurt， and she wanted him to hurt， too。 “You were going to be married for your money eventually。 Isn’t that the way things work among your set？”“Yes，” he said with chilling softness， “I was probably always destined for a marriage of fortunes。 It’s what my parents had， and theirs before them， and theirs before them。 I can tolerate a cold marriage based on pound notes。 I’ve been bred for it。” He leaned forward until his lips were just a breath away from hers。 “But I can’t tolerate one like that with you。”“Why not？” she whispered， unable to pull her eyes from his。“Because we have this。”He moved quickly， his large hand cupping the back of her head as his lips found hers。 In her last coherent second before he crushed her against him， she thought that this would be a kiss of anger， a furious embrace。 But even though his arms held her tightly in place， his mouth moved across hers with stunning， melting gentleness。 （hide spoiler）]Let me tell you， shout at you 'I KNEW IT！' with the top of my lungs because apparently， Lady Danbury staged her blackmail and matchmaked the two together！ The nerve！ The audacity！ Hooray to Lady Danbury！And thus， they lived happily ever after。 Fin~Also， here's the link to this book's alternate ending。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=How to Marry a Marquis
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=How to Marry a Marquis&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft