The luckiest widow in London…
Married young to an old earl who dies within weeks of their nuptials, Eliza Hestings, Countess of Aircourt, lives a contented life of wealth and independence. After years of cultivating her skills, Eliza has emerged as London’s premiere hostess, and her annual ball is considered the undisputed highlight of the season. However, planning the most anticipated event in society is no easy feat, and this year proves to be no different. Buried beneath stacks of invitations, receipts, and flower arrangements, Eliza has no time to waste on frivolities, including a certain James Berrington, who seems intent on using her connections to make amends for his past mistakes. Him having made a fiasco of her ball once before, she has no interest in helping him, no matter how much his charming smile makes her heart flutter.
A quest for redemption…
After two years of well-deserved exile, James Berrington returns to London upon the death of his scandalous father. Eager to make amends for the wrongs he committed in the name of saving the estate and his sister, the newly minted viscount seeks out the only person who can help him integrate back in society and erase the years of disgrace associated with the Berrington name. Lady Aircourt is unsympathetic, however, forcing him on an extended campaign to sway her to his side. As James spends the season following the beautiful widow about, the less he cares about his cause and the more he yearns for the impossible. But what would such an extraordinary woman possibly see in an impoverished scapegrace like himself?