His mother died when he was four, but this had surprisingly little effect on his life. The Countess of Chatteris mothered her son the way her mother had mothered her - from afar.
The above is the way Julia Quinn's Just Like Heaven begins. My heart immediately went out to this character - incurable sap that I am. We quickly learn that Marcus is an only child and he is brought up mainly by nannies and then the best tutors his father's money could buy. Marcus' father saw no reason to have anything to do with his son until 'he was old enough to conduct a reasonably intelligent conversation'. By then, the age of twelve, Marcus was being shipped off to Eton College.
Upon arriving at Eton, Marcus meets Daniel Smythe-Smith and finally has a friend. Before long, Marcus is spending holidays with Daniel's boisterous, fun and loving family; including Daniel's pesky little sister Honoria. And finally, Marcus feels like he has a family.
More than a decade later, Marcus is alone again. Daniel has been exiled from England and he rarely sees the Smythe-Smith's - although he is secretly making certain that Honoria doesn't marry any sort of unsuitable man. Having agreed to this task before Daniel's hasty departure, Marcus takes his duty seriously. On an endeavor to learn of Honoria's latest love interest, Marcus finds himself in a ridiculous mishap and ends up gravely ill.
Honoria feels horribly responsible for Marcus' condition and insists that she and her mother go to his aid. The story that Ms. Quinn continues in Just Like Heaven is filled with friendship, family, reconnecting and of course, love. This book has humor, tears, sighs, sweetness and the ever appreciated happy ending.
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