Love & Reputation (HC #3.5)

Rosemary Albright has been a topic of gossip in the Ton for six long years. She has perfected her gentle smile, her polite non-answers are above reproach, and not a single brash suitor has seen a snippet of her ire. She is the picture of a calm and collected widow, and she intends to remain that way, even as strangers, acquaintances, and friends alike insist on encouraging her to marriage once more.
Alexander Kilroy will do anything in his power to remain unnoticed. Caught between two worlds - his brothers' titles and his father's humble roots - there is nowhere he quite belongs. Ignoring the whispers around him and the hurt in his mother's eyes, Alex is determined to forge his own path, even if it carries him even further from the family he craves but cannot have.
When Rosemary and Alexander are reunited, they find their situations are not so different. And what starts as a friendship between two opposite - one like sunshine, the other midnight rain - might just be what they've both been searching for.

A Humphrey Chronicles Novella (book 3.5) which may be read as a standalone
An ONC 2024 Entry (2K, 8K, and Round 2 Ambassador's Pick)