title: The Christmas Ball Affair
author: King, Rebecca
description: When Nathaniel enters her life, Florentia knows she has met her ideal man. It is just a shame he is completely out of her reach. Nathan is a Lord, with an estate and immeasurable wealth at his disposal. She is an impoverished nobody whose life consists of nothing more than hard work and toil looking after her spiteful step-mother and her daughters. A future together is impossible, no matter how charming and generous he might be – isn’t it?
  Nathaniel is captivated by the beautiful young woman whose wide eyes and impish smile brightens his unexpectedly dull day and leaves him spellbound. Unfortunately, his attempts to further their acquaintance are thwarted by the ruthless endeavours of Florentia’s rather brash relations, whose avarice and callous machinations make everybody of his acquaintance recoil in horror. He knows he must help Florentia out of her difficulties somehow, but when he tries he finds his path blocked by the spiteful determination of her awful step-mother, who desperately tries to force through a marriage to one of her daughters no matter what it takes.
  Determined to avoid her and her awful brood at all costs, Nathan must face the prospect that he might not be able to help the delightful waif who has stolen the majority of his thoughts and the whole of his heart – or can he?
  When help appears in Florentia’s life from a rather unexpected source, she is faced with an entirely different future that brings about numerous surprises. Even so, is a happy ever after with the man of her dreams possible? Or will her step-mother’s scheming come to fruition despite everything?