Lord Hardcastle, a single man with a title and a slew of poor female relations, may be in need of a wife, but that doesn't mean American heiress Libba Wadsworth is interested. Not with the mysterious, orchid hunter Will Ransome lurking about. Rather than endure yet another awful Coming-out Season of boring balls and vacuous visits from suitors, Libba Wadsworth, in one of her more self-indulgent moments, contemplates the romantic thrill of throwing herself off Cora's Leap to go down in history as yet another of the cursed Braddock Brides. She knows full well she won't do it, but still ... the men she's had to endure season after season certainly make a leap into the abyss appealing. Until one Lord Hardcastle comes to call and Will Ransome, claiming to be Hardcastle's batman and an adventurous orchid hunter, shows up. But can she trust either of them? And, more importantly, are they really who they claim to be? The Curse of the Braddock Brides is the first in a series of historical romances inspired by the stately homes of the Hudson Valley.