When her late aunt leaves her a generous fortune, socially awkward Lady Madeline Blaire believes she’s finally found a way out of the high society husband hunt. There’s only one problem. To claim it, Madeline must marry by New Year’s Eve... which is now only three weeks away! Determined to claim her financial freedom, Madeline slips away from her overbearing family and races off to Alcott Hall. Madeline needs a husband. Now. She will be generous, providing him with a comfortable living. All he has to do is agree never to claim his rights as her husband. Three years ago, Charles Bray left Finchley and never looked back. It was too painful to dwell in the past. So, when duty calls him home, he returns, heart heavy, to a town full of ghosts. Seeking any distraction, he sparks an unlikely friendship with a quiet young lady who makes him a surprising offer too good to refuse.