She never forgot the man who defended her. He never imagined she would remember. Lady Sophia Rowlandson has spent years mastering the art of quiet composure, and in her entire life, the façade was breached only once. When attending a country ball at the young age of sixteen, she overheard a gentleman call her a lackwit. Mortified beyond reason—and fearing it was only all too true—she was saved by an unexpected champion, and Mr. Harewood’s gallant words lingered long after he left for the Peninsula. Now he has finally returned, but the boy who defended her is a man changed by war, and Julia is determined to prove that some things are worth fighting for. Felix Harewood never expected to return to England at all, much less to a life of elegant drawing rooms and whispered speculation. He has neither fortune nor title, only the weight of battle on his shoulders. Lady Sophia should be above his touch, yet she is warm, lovely, and entirely too kind to him. The thought that she might care for him is a dangerous hope—one he dares not indulge. But society is watching, and so are the men who would claim Lady Sophia’s hand. As nightmares from his past haunt even his days, Felix must retreat into the shadows, or risk everything for the one woman who has always seen him clearly?