[COMPLETED]
At the age of 15, Miss Charity Chadwick is tricked into marriage. Her new husband, unhappy with their union, banishes her to his northernmost estate and promptly forgets about her existence. There, she remains for the next ten years, alone and neglected.
Julian Lyons, Viscount Wrotham happily goes about his life, confident in his title and the position it affords him in society. All this changes when he is rudely reminded of the wife he tried so hard to forget. A decade has passed, seeing him act the bachelor. That is, until one fateful entry in his accounts that calls his attention to the unjust marriage that tried to put an end to his carefree days.
Julian, having proof of Charity's unfaithfulness, rushes to confront his unwanted wife. He wishes to finally rid himself of her one way or the other. Then, he can truly forget the woman who forced him into marriage. Unfortunately, a powerful grandfather and fellow lords want a reconciliation.
Charity, not knowing of her husband's unannounced return, does not recognize him. Although she is innocent of the charges, she does not deny them. She has plans of her own to end their marriage.
When these two meet again, will love blossom and strengthen their union? Or will they part, unwilling to recognize their heart's desire?
When the arrogant stranger Bess is forced to marry unexpectedly becomes a duke, she'll find herself at odds with her growing feelings as he hunts for a killer.
*****
Sharp-tongued Elizabeth 'Bess' Jones is perfectly content living on her lonesome in a tiny village south of Derbyshire. She works as a nurse, owns a small home, and finds the label of 'spinster' an agreeable trade for her independence. But when her entire life is uprooted in an instant, she only has one person to blame: her new husband, Emmett Wilde, who was caught in a compromising situation with her. And now, despite his promise to fake a death certificate after their wedding--to free her of any duty to him or their marriage bed--he sends for her in the dead of night with startling news: his father has been murdered, and he is now the Duke of Ascot with a wife he can no longer deny...
[[Word Count: 60,000-70,000 words]]
[[Cover designed by Ren Tachibana]]