Return to Kingscote

Maxim Rupert Hammond, the newly minted Duke of Hargrove and Marquess of Somerset, reluctantly agrees to his mother’s demand for a month-long house party filled with debutantes eager for a match. He’ll choose a wife. He’ll do his duty. But his heart remains locked away, still mourning his long-dead first love. Miss Rose Hamden arrives at Kingscote Park cloaked in mystery and a veil. A penniless, scarred companion to a cruel countess and her manipulative daughter, Rose intends to stay quiet, invisible, and out of trouble. But a chance encounter in a quiet, lakeside glen changes everything. What begins as a tentative connection between a kind duke and a quiet companion deepens into a strong attraction that culminates in an unforgettable night of passion. Yet when betrayal threatens, Max and Rose must choose to bow to duty and the weight of expectation, or risk everything for a love that was never part of the plan.