wisdom_potter
Lady Anne Harrington has always been the epitome of propriety-a daughter of an Earl, graceful, intelligent, and perfectly composed. Yet beneath her poised exterior lies a carefully honed strategy: it is to discourage any suitor who is unworthy of her heart. At twenty-three, with her older sisters married and her younger sister engaged, she finds herself navigating a world filled with expectation, etiquette, and the ever-watchful eyes of society.
Edward Andrews, newly titled Duke of Ashbourne, is a man who knows patience. He first noticed Anne years ago, when she was fifteen, visiting her brother at Eton. Wealthy but untitled, he admired her from afar, careful to honor propriety and distance. Now, inheriting a dukedom, he returns-no longer a boy with admiration, but a man with rank, wealth, and determination.
As society buzzes with gossip, Lady Anne tests him with subtle improprieties, clever games, and quiet wit. Yet Edward is unshaken, attentive, and endlessly patient-slowly proving that he is worthy of the lady who has long captured his heart.