title: The Hired Hero
author: Pickens, Andrea
description: A Brave Beauty
  
  When Lady Caroline Talcott comes into possession of a secret missive vital to England's fight against Napoleon, she impulsively hastens to London--to deliver the papers to the minister herself....
  
  Waylaid by mysterious assailants, Caroline is rescued by the rakish Julian Atherton, the new Earl of Davenport. Keeping her identity secret, she offers Julian a small fortune to conduct her safely to London. The sum will fill his empty pockets, though Julian has to toil mightily to earn it. In the process, he discovers that Caroline is everything a lady should not be: outspoken, clever, and fearless. As they are pursued across the English countryside, Julian's grudging respect for her courage turns into desire--then into a love unlike any he has ever known....