Prudence

Prudence has spent her life surviving quietly in a world that rewards silence.
But silence breaks easily.
When she is pulled into the orbit of a man she should never have been connected to...
By duty, by family, by rules she never agreed to...
Everything she has built begins to fracture.
Because some choices are not choices at all.
And some men do not ask before they change your life.
He was never meant to notice her.
She was never meant to matter.
But she does.
And now every step forward comes with a cost.
One she may not be able to pay without losing herself in the process.
In a world built on reputation, restraint, and consequences, Prudence must decide how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice...
Before the decision is made for her.

Here's my original Prudence entry in the Wattys 2018. It was incomplete then and only included the first 3 chapters...
Someone That I Used to Know

By Margaret McIsaac

Writing as Mallory Scot

Short Description: *Wattys2018 Shortlist* Fleeing a trail of dead suitors, Prudence moves to London where she quickly receives another offer of marriage. But her new suitor is hiding a secret. He's only interested in finding out who's murdering his friends and why.
(A Regency Mystery/Thriller with a touch of Romance)