Paen de Gerville has returned from the Crusades and has claimed his promised bride, Avelyn Straughton. In preparing Avelyn for the nuptials, her mother and her maid are trying to fit Avelyn in her bride’s dress. One problem: the dress is too small for Avelyn.  Avelyn is about to burst out of it. To make matters worse, after the wedding ceremony and during the wedding feast, the seams on Avelyn’s dress do in fact give way and Avelyn reveals more than intended to her guests. In her embarrassment, she faints and that sets off laughter among her cousins.

Later that night in the bridal chamber, Avelyn upsets a candle and manages to set the chamber ablaze. Paen’s chest with all his clothes is burned as are his hands when he tries to extinguish the blaze.  With this sad state of affairs, Paen and Avelyn set out in their travels to Paen’s home.

 With one unfortunate event after another, and with some attempts on Avelyn’s life, I could not help but wonder “What next?”.  THE PERFECT WIFE is one of the best romances I have read in some time.