Jane Maguire
A lovelorn lady ...Eleven years ago, Lady Amelia Prescott was jilted on the night of her planned elopement, and the man who betrayed her disappeared from England with nothing more than a letter of farewell. Ever since, she has focused her attention on her secret work as an advice columnist while remaining staunchly closed off to finding love for herself. Yet a twist of fate renders her former betrothed a duke, and he reappears at the exact moment when her carefully guarded secret becomes threatened by a money-hungry blackmailer. Desperate to flee London and escape an impending scandal, Amelia finds herself seeking aid from the unlikeliest person: the one who shattered her heart.An unexpected duke ...Jonathan Astley-now the Duke of Branscombe-may have spent more than a decade traveling the world, but he could never go far enough to escape past regrets, or to forget the woman he once intended to marry before his hopes for the future crumbled to pieces. Upon returning to England, he knows he has no right to wish for a reconciliation with the ever-lovely-and unwed-Amelia. However, when their paths unexpectedly cross on the Great North Road, he can at least try to atone by doing as she asks and conveying her to her destination.A road trip that binds them together ...Unfortunately, the road north is fraught with calamities, from derelict inns to an undutiful coachman to rain that refuses to relent. Yet with each new disaster, the attraction between them flares back to life, and broken trust begins to rebuild. Will their tumultuous journey lead to the rekindling of a love once lost? Or will old hurts and secrets forever stand in the way of their second chance at happiness?
