When life becomes overwhelming, perhaps the only solution is to indulge in sin and scandal…
Benedict Ormandy, Marquess of St. Synedon, has washed his hands of living. Long ago he retreated to his country estate in the Lake District after losing his only son tore him apart. Nestled within the hills and lakes, he keeps himself aloof from everything, for he no longer has the will to continue. When he accidentally comes upon a woman pitched from a gig, his outlook has the potential to change.
Widowed Marjorie Stowe is restless and searching for purpose. After her husband died, she came to England, but being of a certain age where society has no more use for women, she has been at sixes and sevens. When her horse gets a mind of its own and overturns the conveyance, she’s left by herself with an injured ankle. Near an old well, she tosses in a coin and on a whim, makes a wish just as rescue arrives.
Immediate attraction flares between Syn and Marjorie, as charged as the summer storms, but secrets and grief keep them from connecting beneath a surface level. Forced proximity leads to pleasurable scandal so far away from London society where there are no rules. Then one night in the midst of a storm where everything narrows into sharp relief, stark truths come to light. Forgiveness is offered, but unless they accept that for themselves and leave the past firmly there, not even the heated desire can save them or usher in the love they both desperately need.
...to survive the storms.