First published 2009
Jonas Tallent abandons the card tables and ballrooms of London for his family's rural Devon estate. Bored with society's empty pleasures, he faces one pressing task: finding a manager for the village inn. When genteel but penniless Emily Beauregard applies for the position, Jonas initially refuses. Ladies belong in drawing rooms, not running businesses. With no other candidates, he reluctantly gives her a chance. Emily transforms the failing inn with remarkable skill, but she harbors a secret purpose. She seeks a family treasure hidden somewhere in the village, guided only by a cryptic rhyme passed down through generations. Jonas discovers her quest and insists on helping her decode the mysterious clues. As they work together, attraction flares between them. Emily needs the treasure to restore her family's fortune and support her orphaned siblings. But when they finally locate the legacy, a dangerous enemy emerges from the shadows, threatening Emily, her family, and the unexpected love she has found with Jonas.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Devon, London
Period: 19th-Century
400 pages · Hardcover · Avon