8 parts Ongoing MatureIn the glittering yet merciless world of the English aristocracy, Evangeline Montague-Pembroke is a woman both admired and condemned. A mulâtresse born into nobility, she has been raised by her uncle, shadowed by past tragedies and bound by duty to restore her family's legacy. As she steps into society as a debutante, her beauty is undeniable-but it is her honeyed skin and foreign features that invite whispers instead of proposals. Despite the murmurs, Evangeline is determined to secure a wealthy and respectable husband, a man who will look beyond the scandal of her birth and help her fulfill her late father's final wish.
On the other end of the ballroom, Lawrence Ellsworth, the Duke of Appleton, has no such romantic aspirations. A man of duty and unapologetic indulgence, he prefers his world structured by land, estate, and the occasional company of women who require nothing more than a fleeting night. His mother, however, has different plans-plans that involve a love match for her son. Lawrence at last surrendered to his mother's wishes to see him married , conceding that a refined, porcelain-skinned lady of noble birth and impeccable manners was the final obligation he must fulfill as the Duke of Appleton.
But fate is rarely so obedient.
As Evangeline and Lawrence cross paths in a world dictated by rules, lineage, and whispered betrayals, they soon realize that neither duty nor reason holds power over the heart. And when hearts begin to beat against the walls of propriety, scandal is never far behind...
