Good book with some intriguing parallels to current events. Thomasia is a single mother during a time when such a thing is scandalous. She has managed to keep her secret by hiding at her parents' home while trying to decide her future. She's feeling a bit of cabin fever, having made herself a prisoner. She spent her pregnancy in Yorkshire, where she got involved with a group of women trying to better the lives of poor women who don't have the resources she does. She misses that feeling of doing something important. That changes when she meets their neighbor, MP Shaw Rawdon.

Shaw is a newly elected MP with progressive ideas. His sponsors are much more conservative and expect him to align with their views. He knows how the game is played but hates that he must vote against something he approves of to get their support for his project. When he attends a dinner at his neighbors' home, he is intrigued by Thomasia and her well-stated views on the same subjects. Shaw invites her to become his secretary to get to know her better.

Thomasia is wary of Shaw. Her experience with the father of her child convinced her that men could not be trusted. But she'll work for him and plans to do her best to influence him to vote to preserve the Bastardy Act, which allows women like her to gain financial support from the fathers of their children. That plan quickly falls by the wayside as Thomasia and Shaw get to know each other. There are sparks between them, but once Shaw learns of her daughter, he knows he can't pursue them. Getting involved with an unwed mother would be the death of his career.

As much as he tries to resist it, Thomasia and her daughter have found their way into his heart. I loved seeing Shaw with little Effie-Claire. She utterly entrances him, and it's obvious he would make a terrific father. Even better, he doesn't hold Thomasia's indiscretion against her. The more he gets to know her, the more he wants both of them in his life. Thomasia falls just as hard for Shaw once she gets past her mistrust of him. She also knows how hard he's worked to get where he is. She refuses to marry him because she doesn't want to be responsible for ending his career.

Meanwhile, the father of Thomasia's daughter suddenly decides he wants custody of the child because of an inheritance requirement. I liked that she immediately thought of Shaw as the person to help her. There were some tense moments as she overhears comments by those conservative sponsors, but she reins in her impulse to interfere. I loved the scenes of Shaw joining with the men of Thomasia's family to deal with the threat. I loved seeing Shaw put his feelings for her on the line and step up to protect her in the best way possible. I held my breath, hoping she would finally let go of her fears and accept his love. But her ex is a desperate man, and some heart-pounding moments threaten everything she holds dear. The conclusion was well done. I liked the epilogue, which I thought was realistically done.

I enjoyed the inclusion of one of the political hot points of support for "fallen" women. Thomasia looks at it from a personal perspective. Shaw's view is also affected by his early life. His dilemma of compromising his ideals was difficult, and his struggle was evident every time he had to deal with the other men. I loved his acceptance by Thomasia's family and especially liked how the men supported him. I grinned at their solution to his dilemma and cheered at how it turned out. I also liked seeing that Thomasia is in the perfect place to continue her work with Shaw's support. ( )