William, Earl of Ashford, and Violet Hayes had known each other since childhood—he, heir to a great title, and she, the daughter of his father's stable master and the cook.
What began as innocent friendship blossomed into stolen kisses and whispered vows. William swore their love would cross every boundary of class, that nothing—not family, nor duty, nor the rigid rules of society—would keep them apart. But when William returns from London in the midst of the Season, it is not to claim Violet's hand as he had promised—it is to announce his engagement to a woman of wealth and pedigree. Violet's pleas shatter against his cold words: this is his duty, and nothing will change it. Worse still, his mother ensures Violet's disappearance, warning that if she does not leave at once, her parents will lose their livelihoods. Lady Ashford will not allow a servant's daughter—carrying her son's child—to remain when his new bride is soon to arrive. To Violet, it is not only her love William has cast aside—but their unborn child as well. Devastated and alone, she is sent away, banished from the man she once trusted with her entire heart and soul. Years pass. William's glittering marriage ends in ashes when his wife dies childless, leaving him with nothing but regret. Seeking Violet at last, he finds not the trusting girl who once believed in his promises, but a woman carved by heartbreak and hardened by loss. Violet lives only for her daughter—the child William rejected long ago. Her heart is withered, her trust broken, and she no longer believes in the promises of men. When it mattered most, William did not choose her. And Violet Hayes has vowed never again to be that girl who chose him. For mature listeners.
