The tale of impetuous Arabella and unflappable Robert
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Sent off to London to be introduced to Society by
her doting godmother, Lady Bridlington, all would be seen as going as planned for Arabella.
That is until the appearance of a certain Robert Beaumaris.
Dark, handsome, disgustingly wealthy; Beaumaris is clearly the most eligible Nonpareil of the day. Lures have been thrown out at
him, match-making mamas have stormed his household many a
time; making Beaumaris utterly cynical about the world - and
women at large.
Suffering an unfortunate carriage accident close to one of Mr. Beaumaris' lesser estates, Arabella finds herself obliged to seek shelter there. The jaded Mr. Beaumaris mistakes her as an encroaching, fortune-hunting hussy and utters words that are utterly condemning to his friend, Lord Fleetwood.
Happening by, Arabella manages to overhear this conversation and is suitably incensed. Overcome by her rash impetuosity, she starts to act out a farce. Taking the role of a bored, extremely courted heiress, Arabella convinces everyone at the table that she is the odiously wealthy Miss Tallant. Surprisingly overcoming his earlier disgust of her, Mr. Beaumaris then sets out to charm her. The ingenious gentleman immediately makes a reprehensible plan to make her the most sought-after lady in London. Beaumaris succeeds beyond his wildest dreams. Armed with her beauty, her vivacity and her fictional fortune, Arabella is immediately besieged by an army of suitors. But she refuses all of them; fearing that they have proposed to her with an eye on her imaginary wealth. As the famous Miss Tallant, she gallivants around London society, becoming the toast of London's ton, always under the watchful eye of Mr. Beaumaris. But our handsome hero is far from in love with Arabella. He intends to only toy with her, flirting with her affections for but a season. He likes her well but not yet enough to make him marry her. On her part, Arabella knows very well that Beaumaris is only having a light, elegant flirtation and thinks nothing of it. Ever honest, the parson's daughter freely admits that she has started to have feelings for him but knows that nothing would come of it for who is the poor daughter of a nobody to engage the affections of the most sought-after bachelor on the Marriage Mart. The trouble starts when Mr. Beaumaris manages to rescue some of Arabella's needy orphans ( consisting of a mongrel named Ullyses due to his having led a roving, adventuresome life, a street waif/chimney-sweep called Jemmy ) .. therefore making her revise her previously prejudiced opinion of him. She soon accepts her deep feelings for Beaumaris and mourns over the fact that she can never marry the man that she loves. What Arabella doesn't know is that Beaumaris has known about her fraud since the beginning and hadn't been duped by her conjured fortune. With time, his feelings also undergo a change. As soon as Beaumaris is confronted with a vision of the valiant Arabella standing in defence of an abused Jemmy, he suffers an enlightenment so blinding as almost to deprive him of his senses - it is then that he realises that he has found the girl that he has been waiting for all these years. But his first eager proposal is rebuffed by Miss Tallant. The very thought of Mr Beaumaris learning of her duplicity shames her and she daren't accept his flattering offer. Her grief is enlivened when her enterprising younger brother, Bertram Tallant, makes an appearance in London. Gifted both with the good looks of the Tallants and the same impulsiveness as his sister, the young gentleman soon finds himself knee-deep in trouble. In a rash bid to save Bertram from debtors, Arabella agrees to marry Beaumaris. Desperately in need of the money, Arabella manages to convince Beaumaris to elope with her. There is almost no need for persuasion for the unflappable gentleman agrees readily, mostly spurred on by his overwhelming sense of levity.
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