A Highwayman Came Riding by Joan Smith

Still a pleasant read but getting a little more stupid. A little more over exaggeration and unrealness of emotion and action. Why is it the newer the book the stupider they get? Yes I know this isn't always true but I just don't like the writing style most books begin to take on in the 90's and on into 2000.

The penny-pinching duchess, determined not to pay for another night's lodging, insists her coach travel the perilous roads outside London, all but begging for the unwanted attentions of a roving thief. It is her companion, Marianne Harkness, who first hears the pounding hoof beats-and who boldly meets the gaze of the handsome highwayman Captain Jack.

However, nothing goes as planned-for the victims or the criminals-and the duchess leaves it to Marianne to rescue her diamonds from Caption Jack's clutches. But soon adventure turns to mayhem, as Marianne discovers that the only way to reform the scoundrel is to fall in love with him!