Emma V. Leech

She’s loved him forever. He refuses to be fooled again. Christmas has other plans.
A warm, witty, and wonderfully romantic Victorian Christmas tale from Best Selling Author Emma V Leech.
Lady Victoria Adolphus has never lacked admirers. As the beautiful daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Bedwin, she is followed everywhere by eager suitors hoping to win her hand — and her formidable dowry. Torie, however, has eyes for only one man: Barnaby Godwin, the kindest, funniest, most decent fellow in England.

Unfortunately, Barnaby refuses to contemplate her.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Barnaby Godwin has spent his life being nice — and he’s thoroughly sick of it. Niceness didn’t win him the hand of Lady Millicent, who chose an elderly earl over him without hesitation. And niceness certainly won’t protect him from heartbreak now that a duke’s daughter is making sheep’s eyes at him. Barnaby will not be made a fool of again.

But Christmas has a wicked sense of humour.

When their dear friends Evie and Louis host their first Christmas house party at Heart’s Folly, Torie and Barnaby are thrown together at every turn. Barnaby does his best to avoid her. Torie, wounded by his coldness, goes looking for adventure instead — and finds it in the shadowed corners of the old house, where secrets whisper and mysteries lurk.

She didn’t mean to drag Barnaby into trouble.
But that’s what comes of being too decent to let her face danger alone.

Now they’re entangled in a gothic tangle of secrets, mischief, and peril… and Torie has no intention of letting Barnaby slip away again. After all, what’s a daring girl to do but take a chance on the magic of Christmas?

A stubborn hero.
A determined heroine.
And a holiday season that just might turn unrequited love into something wonderfully, unexpectedly mutual.