She excels at everything—especially at capturing his heart. Philip Townsend is too busy trying to render his estate profitable to worry about managing its rundown house or finding a woman suited to the role of his wife. His beautiful and competent neighbor Honoria should be the logical choice, were it not for the enmity between their fathers that makes such a thing impossible. Honoria Bassett takes pride in a household well run and cannot understand why her dear neighbor won’t make more of an effort at his. When it comes to the choice of husbands, she is too certain of what she wants to consider Philip for the role. But his tendency for quiet acts of heroism, and those firm lips quirked upward in a grin, keep doing strange things to her heart. When challenges appear in their individual lives, Philip and Honoria turn to one another for guidance. Now in constant company, the strength of their feelings makes them question whether mere friendship is enough. But even if they decide they might suit, how in the world will they convince Honoria’s father to agree?

She is waiting to be loved for the very first time. He is waiting to love her. But someone is going to make sure that never happens. Widowed Arabella Northwick went from the home of a father who didn’t love her to the home of a husband who didn’t love her. It would seem at last she was on the cusp of forging a happier future for her baby and herself were it not for her dead husband’s brother, who is determined to keep them captive. Theo Dawson was born and bred into the textile industry. He has never wished to inherit the mill and run it, but as the eldest son, no other choice presents itself. He might be able to resign himself to a life of duty rather than happiness were it not for the beautiful, widowed Mrs. Northwick, who is coming to mean every bit to him as fulfilling his duties. With a wicked brother-in-law keeping a tight rein on Arabella and swearing she will lose her son if she marries, and problems at the mill that prevent Theo from any hope of passing it on to his younger brother, the two hopeless lovers have arrived at point non plus . What they will need to overcome—their only hope, in fact—is a stroke of good fortune.