Description
London, 1810
Miss Georgiana Hartwell may be the richest heiress in London, but her family’s fortune—built on revolutionary steam-powered looms that transformed England’s textile industry—can’t buy her acceptance among the ton. Educated in business rather than needlepoint, Georgiana harbors ambitions to expand her late father’s manufacturing empire, even as society expects her to simply marry well and relinquish control to a husband.
Viscount James Westbury, with his impeccable lineage and notorious charm, appears to be the perfect aristocrat—until one ventures inside his empty coffers. After a disastrous night at the gaming tables leaves him on the verge of complete ruin, he sets his sights on the merchant’s daughter and her unseemly fortune as his salvation.
When Georgiana publicly humiliates the viscount after discovering his mercenary intentions, a compromising situation forces them into a sham courtship to avoid scandal. Trapped in each other’s company, James begins to admire the brilliant mind behind Georgiana’s unusual upbringing, while she glimpses the honorable man beneath his rakish facade—a man who sacrifices everything to care for his sisters after their father’s disgrace.
As industrial riots threaten her factories and aristocratic hostility endangers his family’s remaining reputation, they discover their complementary strengths. But when an old rival threatens to expose their false engagement, they must decide what truly holds value: societal expectations or the unexpected love they’ve found against all odds.
Ardent Artist Books