Rake's Progress

The newest master of 67 Clarges Street--that good address in London’s fashionable Mayfair--is a single gentleman, the handsome, rich, and notorious rake Lord Guy Carlton. After years of fighting in the wars against Napoleon, the dashing lord is determined to kick up his heels with wine, women, and song, undeterred by appalled reaction. Never before have the Clarges Street servants earned so much money or eaten so well, but their pleasure-loving master seems liable to die of dissipation. In desperation, the staff, led by the witty and resourceful butler, Rainbird, sets out to find a “good woman” who can calm the lord’s boisterous spirit and save his black soul. Their search ends with the discovery of Miss Esther Jones of Berkeley Square, a prim and righteous woman who seems the perfect reformer. But complications lie ahead as the servants’ ingenious scheme creates warm-hearted chaos both above and below the stairs at 67 Clarges Street, and no one, not even Miss Jones herself, is prepared for the transformation that ultimately takes place.

(From M.C. Beaton's official website)