Much Ado about a Widow — Jenna Jaxon

Lady Georgina Kirkpatrick defied her family, jilted her fiancé, and married the man she loved. But when her husband died at Waterloo, she was delivered right back into her father's power...

Victory is sweet -- but England's triumph was Georgie's rout. Now that she's widowed, the loathsome marriage her father first arranged has simply been renegotiated. With neither money nor rights, and nowhere to flee, all she can do is cherish her last weeks of freedom.... Until a band of ruffians overtake her carriage and kidnap her. When she escapes in seaside Brighton and encounters her brother's rather wild friend, Lord St. Just -- whom she suspects aspires to be a pirate -- she's prepared to entertain more of his adventurous suggestions than usual...

St. Just knows his mind and his duty, and he loves a challenge. Helping a fair lady make her farewells to hoodlums suits his talents well. Within the hour he has Georgie, her lady's maid -- and her little dog too -- sailing for his castle in Cornwall. Meanwhile, the lady's entire family, her kidnappers, and her scheming intended are in pursuit. But as he and the indomitable Georgie grow closer, he begins to suspect that together they will prove a match for them all...