Cirrus@Austlit

'The Ministry of Marriage is the nickname of a cabal in which the leaders of the most prominent families in Britain negotiate, facilitate and approve dynastic marriages. Each family represented in the organization has a rich history full of rivalries, allegiances, legends and secrets. Their fortunes have risen and fallen for hundreds of years depending on their success in war, their religious leanings, or which heir to the throne they support. But now their battles have moved to the ballroom. In the relative stability of Regency England, strategic marriages are the surest way to increase stature, wealth and power. A handful of noble families rule the nation while their king descends to madness and an indolent, pleasure-loving prince takes his place. Absent a strong monarch, the Ministry of Marriage was formed secretly for the regulation of marital alliances, to ensure that power is not abused or centered in one family. The founder of the Ministry is the Duke of Montford. He is head of the extensive Westruther dynasty and the guardian of six assorted Westruther orphans—three boys and three girls—who have grown up together under his roof. He has arranged brilliant marriages for each of them via the Ministry of Marriage. The Ministry’s work is now under threat from a new wave of romanticism among contemporary youth. Can the organization’s members hold back the tide and persuade their young relatives to do their duty, or will these cold-hearted aristocrats be obliged to play Cupid?' (Author's website)