Determined to make sure everyone has the perfect last trip, Harriet and Wyn resolve to fake their relationship for the week. Telling the truth about their breakup is out of the question, because the cottage is up for sale, and this is the group’s last hurrah. But (surprise!) Wyn is there too, and he and Harriet have to share a (very romantic) room and a bed. She’s ready for a vacation at her happy place-the Maine cottage she and her friends visit every summer. So they keep it a secret from their friends and families-in fact, Harriet barely even admits it to herself, focusing instead on her grueling hours as a surgical resident. They’ve been part of the same boisterous friend group since college, and they know that their breakup will devastate the others and make things more than a little awkward. Wyn Connor and Harriet Kilpatrick were the perfect couple-until Wyn dumped Harriet for reasons she still doesn’t fully understand. Their affair is full of angst and longing, their different places in the social stratosphere making a future together seem impossible.Īn impressive end to a series that explores the ways women subvert societal norms and expectations in Victorian London.Įxes pretend they’re still together for the sake of their friends on their annual summer vacation.

Marcus and Esme’s adventures are full of danger and intrigue-not to mention spy gadgets, mysterious operatives, and political intrigue. Heath has always been a master of the romance genre, and in this novel, she provides the added bonus of a Victorian-era James Bond plot.

Esme has no choice but to tell Marcus the truth: She’s a spy for the Crown, and she believes that Victoria’s life is still in danger. When Marcus follows her one night, they have a dangerous altercation with criminals that injures them both. Marcus cannot trust this independent, strong-willed woman who is definitely keeping secrets, and he’s horrified by his attraction toward the woman who was his father’s lover. He contacts his father’s mistress, Esme Lancaster, certain she has information about the extent of his father’s involvement in the conspiracy. A year later, Marcus begins to investigate his father’s crimes, determined to restore the family’s name. The family is stripped of their land, wealth, and titles, leaving Marcus and his siblings disgraced and penniless. Marcus Stanwick was next in line to the Dukedom of Wolfford when his father was arrested and executed for plotting to kill Queen Victoria. A man tries to exonerate his father and reclaim his title.

Return of the duke lorraine heath