December 1816. Ryder, Lord Madigan, has never got over the loss of his childhood sweetheart, Adele, the woman who abandoned him at the altar. Now she's come home, a widow. Wrongly believing Ryder to be dead, Adele has returned to her Dorset village to reunite with her family and pick up the pieces of her life. Despite everything, she has never stopped loving the man she jilted. But can she bring herself to tell Ryder the truth about why she left him? Ryder too is keeping secrets. If the two former lovers are to have a second chance at happiness, they must overcome their pride and admit their true feelings for one another.
1815. Having fallen on hard times, doctor's daughter Grace Ellis serves as a lady's companion. But on Lady Florence's death, Grace discovers that she's been left an unexpected legacy by her former mistress. There's just one catch. In order to claim her inheritance, Grace must wed Lady Florence's disreputable nephew, a gruff army brigadier more than three times her age. She is offered a way out by family friend Dominic LeSayres, who determines to marry Grace himself in order to save her from a grim fate. But just as the proposed marriage of convenience looks set to turn into a true love match, others step in to crush Grace's happiness…
