The young and dashing Sebastian Rutherford, reluctant heir presumptive to The Marquess of Gossingham, enjoys a life of frivolous excess with his equally indulgent cousin, Viscount Salisbury. Tumbling from one scrape to the next, Sebastian is accustomed to receiving the expected cantankerous reprimands from his formidable guardian The 9th Marquess, Lord Gerald Rutherford, and in equal measure, the lofty disapproval of the Marquess' headstrong and precocious Ward, Miss. Lucile Albury.Adept at avoiding all responsibilities towards his future inheritance, it is therefore with significant reluctance that Sebastian must obey The Marquess' summons to Egleton Manor - a pleasure he has avoided with great skill for over a decade. However, little does Sebastian realise that he will be spared his usual punishments for on this occasion, The Marquess of Gossingham has a greater and more shocking plan in store for him...About the Author:Elizabeth Harcourt is an English hapless romantic who is a part-time inhabitant of the early 19th century and a full-time 21st century hospital doctor. Steeped in Austen and Georgette Heyer from an early age, her favourite diversions include demolishing books, portraiture, pianoforte and strumming wistfully on her harp. She can often be found, quill in hand, in a cosy cafe taking a 7% solution of Earl Grey (ter die sumendum) or on adventures with her French Mr. Darcy.She lives between the United Kingdom and France. Lord Rutherford's Last Retort is her first novel of this genre.