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England, 1909.
England has just pulled itself through the final days of the second industrial revolution. With the invention of the automobile making travel inside and between cities even easier than trains had already managed to, the big and bustling cities of the United Kingdom, from Glasgow and Edinborough, all the way down to London are getting more and more crowded with people from all walks of life flocking to sell everything they can put on the market, everything from modest fruits and vegetables to homebrewed beer and liquor on small stands, up to coal, steel and many tonnes of hard comoddities, moved around by boat or train.
But with all the commotion and the markets being taken over every new day, everyone is struggling to cash in quickly before someone else swipes the opportunity from them. And with chatter from dawn until dusk and carriages moving left and right, there's bound to be some shady trade hidden amongst the crowd. And where the already busy lawmen cannot reach their arms, some eager newcomers in the market might just not make a lot of friends...
On top of everything, the Irish Republican Army is growing more and more restless and overall support for independence from Great Britain is brewing on the Emerald Isle. With great economic opportunity, comes a lot of political instability. And with a new rebellion sparked more and more often, no one knows what will set off the powder keg.
Inspired by Peaky Blinders. All characters are original.
Just when she's decided to leave the Town, Lady Cressida Belverst is forced to marry Lord Calan Haverston, the man who coincidentally knows a way out. Agreeing to marry for all the wrong reasons, can Cressida and Calan find out where their hearts truly belong?
***
It is impossible to leave the Town, but one woman is determined to escape with the help of her betrothed.
Lady Cressida Belverst has always been judged as a walking scandal. Oh, how she tries (on some rare occasions) to be proper! When her parents arrange for her to marry a rich lord, Cressida has had enough. She has to leave the Town because she will not be forced to live with a man she doesn't love. But what happens if the very man she's betrothed to is the only one who can help her get out?
Calan Haverston, the Lord of Easton, takes the risk and helps his betrothed by using his knowledge of the Town's secrets because he is as willing as she to stay free of marriage for reasons completely different. He has dark secrets he cannot share with her, and his life is not one he can likewise open to anyone. But what happens when she leaves after awakening desires he thought he has under control? And what happens when he finds himself longing for her?
Cressida goes to a completely different place, one she has only heard in stories and read in books, with hopes of finding what her heart has always longed for. But love, mystery and secrets will chase her and it will only be a matter of time before she realizes what her heart truly desires.
*This story is a standalone title in the Haverston Family series.