A governess with a secret. A duke with a broken heart. Can love heal their wounds? Miss Eleanor Clairbridge, at five and twenty, has resigned herself to a life without love. With her family's London townhouse threatened by dwindling finances, she accepts employment as a governess to help support her widowed mother and preserve her cherished childhood home. When Eleanor arrives at Ivy Grange Estate, the last thing she expects to find is a spark of attraction between her and her new employer. Determined not to risk her position, she resolves to keeps her distance. There is more than one reason a romance between them can never be. Edmund Colhampton, the Duke of Albemarle, has no intention of finding love. Since losing his family in a tragic carriage accident five years ago, he has devoted himself to protecting his young niece, the only family he has left. But when his niece's enchanting governess arrives at the estate, Edmund finds himself reconsidering his vow never to love again. Why then, as he seeks to know her more, does she seem determined to avoid him at all costs? As Eleanor fulfills her role as governess, her past begins to catch up with her, threatening to unravel the secrets she holds dear. Both Eleanor and Edmund must confront their deepest fears and decide whether to succumb to the darkness within or brave the path to healing and love.