When He Was Wicked

When He Was Wicked is a historical romance by the American writer Julia Quinn, published in 2004. It is the sixth of her Bridgerton novels.

Michael Stirling is a Scottish earl's heir who has a reputation in London for charm and no serious intentions, and the book begins by explaining where the reputation comes from. He fell in love with Francesca Bridgerton within minutes of meeting her, and then she became engaged to his cousin John, which left him with a choice between explaining himself and leaving. He chose to leave, and the novel follows what happens when circumstances bring him back: his cousin's death, a title he did not expect to inherit, and a widow who is one of the few people he has ever wanted to be honest with. Quinn tells the story in chapters that move between the present and the years of Michael's absence, and the effect is to show two people who have each spent the intervening time misunderstanding what the other wants.

The series belongs to the Regency romance tradition, and this instalment uses the rules of inheritance and mourning that governed the period to make an old refusal matter as much as a new proposal.