Barely a Woman

Morgan Brady is a principled vicar’s daughter left destitute and with the care of her three younger siblings after her father’s death. When she applies for an assistant editor position at the Bow Street magistrate’s office, they offer her an interview believing she is male. Desperate for work and convinced by her late father of her plainness, she cuts her hair and dresses as a man to win the job. To her horror, the magistrate decides to train Morgan by sending her on a road trip investigation with the normally solitary Steadman Drew.

Steadman is a handsome, popular, and barely reformed highwayman who has received a reprieve from the Crown due to his noble origins. The price? He must work for the Bow Street magistrate to capture criminals by taking advantage of his underworld connections. The opportunity pays an unexpected dividend by allowing Steadman to continue his campaign of punishing the powerful who oppress the poor – but with the law on his side. He regards his new protégé, Mr. Brady, as a nuisance but sees the young man’s potential. Forced into tight quarters during long rides and even longer periods of observation, Morgan struggles to maintain her disguise. The difficulty deepens when Steadman, a man of renowned charm and stunning good looks, begins divulging thoughts and feelings to Morgan that he never would to a woman. In fact, Steadman revels in his newfound friendship with Morgan – a friendship like nothing he has ever known. When Steadman inevitably discovers Morgan’s gender, initial shock gives way to a flood of mutual romantic fervor. The burgeoning passion challenges Steadman’s long-held conviction that growing too close to a woman leads only to heartache. Though Steadman’s affection slowly rebuilds Morgan’s self-worth, she grapples with his continued mission of revenge against the noble class. When she learns the identity of the current target of that vengeance, the knowledge threatens to undo the unexpected miracle of their relationship. The outcome of the investigation could destroy everything each has striven for – unless they can work together to find a nobler path.