HIGHCLIFF

In 1920s Illinois, the small, forgotten town of Red Herring offers little excitement, yet for eighteen-year-old Aurelius Leblanc, it promises a desperately needed sanctuary. Having survived the mud-soaked horrors of Passchendaele as a fifteen-year-old in the Canadian Army, Aurelius is burdened by the invisible wounds of shellshock and a distinctive streak of white in his brown hair-a stark reminder of the trenches he can't forget. Quietly, he seeks to disappear into the mundane world of service.

His new position: butler at Highcliff Manor, the imposing estate of the powerful Maxon family-Arthur, Celia, and their enigmatic daughter, Evelyn.

Evelyn, also eighteen, is a creature of constrained elegance, raised within the manor's strict, shadowed walls. As Aurelius begins to navigate the complex rituals of the house, their paths inevitably cross. He is a man who saw too much; she is a woman who sees everything-especially the pain behind his green eyes and the faint scar tracing his jawline.

Their connection is immediate, charged with unspoken intensity, yet it is forbidden. He is the help, haunted by the brutal echo of war; she is the heiress, expected to maintain perfection. As their clandestine romance blossoms beneath the cold gaze of the Maxon family, Aurelius must confront whether he can truly love while still fighting the war in his mind, and Evelyn must decide if she is willing to break every rule to save the man who finally sees her.

Highcliff is a sweeping, atmospheric romance about healing, secrets, and the powerful, fragile connection forged between two souls in a house full of ghosts-both real and remembered.