“She trusts books more than people. He is the man society fears. Together, they may uncover the truth that changes everything. ”. Miss Penelope Whitmore has never been tempted by society’s glittering promises. A devoted bluestocking, she finds far greater satisfaction among ancient manuscripts than in any ballroom... more“She trusts books more than people. He is the man society fears. Together, they may uncover the truth that changes everything. ”. Miss Penelope Whitmore has never been tempted by society’s glittering promises. A devoted bluestocking, she finds far greater satisfaction among ancient manuscripts than in any ballroom. When her beloved uncle’s sudden death leaves her guardianless, and in possession of a cryptic warning, Penelope is forced to seek the protection of the one man she has been told she can trust. The scarred Duke of Sterndale. Adrian Sterling has lived in seclusion for years, content to let society whisper its cruel assumptions. His scars and reserve have earned him a fearsome reputation he neither denies nor corrects. Once a scholar himself, Adrian has little reason to reenter the world, until the arrival of his former tutor’s brilliant niece stirs both his conscience and his heart. As Penelope uncovers fragments of her uncle’s research, she finds herself drawn into a quiet puzzle rooted in history, knowledge, and long-buried secrets. With danger pressing ever closer, Adrian steps from the shadows to protect her, discovering that the bluestocking’s intelligence and courage awaken feelings he believed long lost. But reputations are difficult to escape, and truths from the past carry consequences neither expected. As trust deepens and affection grows, Penelope and Adrian must decide whether love is worth risking the safety of solitude, or whether some walls were built too high to ever be breached. A clean Regency romance of intellect, redemption, and a scarred Duke who finds hope where he least expects it. less
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