Under the Kissing Bough

A Dashing War Hero Falls in Love with a Penniless Orphan

When Colonel Henry Fitzwilliam arrives at Rosings Park and reconnects with his cousin Anne’s lady companion, Ophelia Hampton, he can hardly believe she is the same person as the unprepossessing eight-year-old he teased as a teenager. Now, despite himself, he is enchanted by the accomplished but penniless orphan. To his dismay, Sir Thomas Wainwright, a landholder in the district, has also shown a marked interest in the young woman. During a ball at Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s house in Kent Ophelia disappears, and Fitzwilliam and his cousin Darcy must undertake a desperate race across country and against time through the depths of winter. But will they be able to keep her from being married over the anvil at Gretna Green?

A Season of Invitations
In a glittering Season of Invitations, society’s most sought-after house parties open their doors to dukes, debutantes, and dangerous secrets. From elegant estates to intimate country gatherings, each invitation promises scandal, temptation, and unexpected romance, with stories ranging from clean to gently steamy, where whispered wagers, hidden pasts, and carefully arranged matches may lead not to ruin, but to love.