Bennetta Darcy has everything a young lady could desire: beauty, fortune, and the distinguished name of Pemberley. Yet beneath her spirited manner lies a wounded heart. Tainted by the scandal surrounding her sister and increasingly at odds with her family, Bennetta has never felt more alone.
There is only one man she has ever truly wanted – Martin Courtney, the charming and unsuitable gentleman she has secretly loved since she was sixteen. But when Bennetta learns that Martin has married another woman, the last of her hopes is shattered.
Heartbroken and reckless, she agrees to a devastating arrangement with Raiford Burnley, a young gentleman in desperate need of a fiancée to secure his inheritance. Their engagement takes Bennetta to Heron’s Keep, an ancient house standing amid the lonely marshes where the Thames meets the sea – a place of whispered secrets and strange loyalties.
But nothing could prepare Bennetta for the guests already awaiting her there.
For Martin Courtney has come to Heron’s Keep – with his wife.
Summoning every ounce of Darcy pride, Bennetta resolves to treat the man she loves with perfect indifference. Yet Martin is no longer the man she remembers. In company, he mocks and provokes her, hiding behind careless smiles and cutting words; but when they are alone, every lingering glance and unguarded moment betrays a desire neither of them has the right to feel.
Set at the dawn of Queen Victoria’s reign, this captivating historical romance blends forbidden love, dangerous secrets, and the irresistible tension of two hearts that dare not speak the truth. From the beloved legacy of Pride and Prejudice comes a tale of pride, deception, and a love worth risking everything to claim.
Trope: First Love, Forbidden Lovers, Forced Proximity, Opposites Attract, age gap
