A botanically inclined bluestocking and a highwayman are surely not a match made in heaven. But love, like a carefully nurtured plant, can bloom even in the most unlikely places.
Frances Somers is a woman of exceptional intellect and passion, known for her vast knowledge of plants and her love for botanical exploration. Her father’s recent remarriage has brought an unwelcome stepmother into her life, who has little patience for Frances’s scholarly pursuits and her greenhouse filled with exotic flora.
Under the threat of a forced marriage and on the way to London in the dark of night, Frances is simultaneously terrified and thrilled when her parents’ coach is held up. Might this be her one and only chance to escape her monstrous husband-to-be?
Albert Waverley has many secrets hidden behind the facade of an aristocrat he wears by day. His double life was forged from necessity, driven by a deep-rooted desire to serve King and Country and a restlessness that had plagued him since childhood. In the glittering ballrooms of high society, he is the epitome of genteel refinement. With wealth, title, and privilege at his fingertips, he moves through the upper echelons with grace and charm. But as the moon ascends and the world slumbers, a different persona erupts from the shadows.
Albert’s cousin is a renowned botanist, but he is not all he seems, and innocent Frances is drawn into his nefarious clutches. As their two worlds collide and secrets teeter on the brink of exposure, Albert finds himself torn between duty and rebellion, love and risk. Amidst all the chaos and danger, Frances and Albert become entwined in a way that will change their lives forever.
