"The Proposal" by Mary Balogh

After being yelled at by the friend she's staying with, Gwendoline, Lady Muir, takes a long walk to clear her head.  She slips on her way up a hill and badly twists her ankle; she's not sure how she's going to make it back to town a mile away.  Major Hugo Emes, Lord Trentham, is staying with other former soldiers from the Napoleonic wars in the nearby estate when he sees Lady Muir fall.  Although he's now a lord, he's a middle class man who earned the title through heroic military actions, not family.  He takes her back to the estate where she must recuperate for a week.  Even though he has close friends from the aristocracy, he doesn't like most titled people and thinks they look down on him.  He tries hard not to like Lady Muir, a vibrant widow, but he's so drawn to her that he can't stay away.  Gwendoline also finds him attractive after getting used to his scowling and blunt manner.

Eventually, she goes back to London where she lives, and although he lives in the country, he goes to London for business reasons and to visit his half-sister and step-mother.  Constance is her sickly mother's caretaker, but Hugo knows she needs to be out in the world where she can meet other young adults and make a good match.  She begs him to let her attend one society ball, but he has no idea how to get an invitation let alone what she will need to wear and not look silly.  He finds Lady Muir and asks her to sponsor Constance for one ball, and she agrees. Will their mutual attraction be able to overcome their very different backgrounds and personalities to let them find happiness together?

Balogh is a wonderful storyteller, and this book reminds me of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  There is not much overt action in her books but more internal and external dialog about feelings, past events, and relationships.  Hugo and Gwendoline are total opposites.  Although a war hero, he's an introvert with social anxiety who would rather spend time in the country with his farm animals and gardens than with people.  She's an extrovert who loves the social parts of life and genuinely enjoys being around people.  But as they get to know each other, they find that they might just be what the other one needs.  This is another winner from Balogh and the first in her new Survivor's Club series.  320 pages.