Summary
Henry Devereaux, the Duke of Ashbury, treats his dukedom like a business and his marriage like a vacancy to be filled.
He has a list of strict requirements: impeccable lineage, unblemished reputation, and a temperament so placid she borders on inanimate.
He doesn't want a wife; he wants a quiet, efficient employee to produce an heir and manage the household. Sarah meets the criteria on paper, but in person, she is a variable Henry never calculated.
A vicar's daughter with a sharp mind and a quiet strength, she refuses to be a mere ornament in his cold, ancestral home. She accepts his proposal to save her family from ruin, but she demands something he never intended to give: respect and a true partnership.
As Sarah reforms his chaotic estate and challenges his rigid worldview, the Duke’s icy exterior begins to crack. But when rumors and rivals threaten to tear them apart, Henry must decide if he’s willing to discard his logical list for the one thing he swore to avoid: a messy, undeniable love.
