The Wallflower...
Lady Clarice Langham has perfected the art of disappearing. She has grown accustomed to the edges of ballrooms, to being overlooked, to wanting nothing that might draw attention to herself. She has her reasons for hiding, reasons she has never spoken aloud.
A secret buried so deep in guilt and grief that she cannot imagine ever being free of it.
She does not expect anyone to come looking for her in the shadows.
The Illegitimate Son...
David Radley has never been ashamed of who he is. Raised alongside his father's legitimate children, he has made his own way in a world that questions his right to be there. He does not care what society thinks of him. He cares about Clarice - has cared about her for years - and he refuses to pretend otherwise.
He sees what others overlook. Beneath the quiet composure and careful distance, there is a woman worth fighting for. And David Radley is very good at fighting.
But Clarice is not simply shy. She is hiding. And until she trusts him with the truth she has carried alone for so long, she cannot let herself love him or be loved.
David will not give up on her. Not when her father forbids it. Not even when Clarice herself pushes him away.
But when a man with cold eyes and cruel intentions sets his sights on her fortune, David will do whatever it takes to keep Clarice safe - from a future that would destroy her, and from the past that still holds her prisoner.
Sasha Cottman writes Regency romance with strong heroines and courageous heroes.
This is a full standalone book in the Duke of Strathmore series.