Torn between desire and duty…

Harry Fitzwilliam, Viscount Harcourt, is the carefree heir to the Earl of Matlock. Until, that is, he returns from his grand tour to learn that his father has bankrupted the earldom. His mother has a solution: Harry must marry the disgraced daughter of a duke. Her generous dowry will restore the family to solvency. There’s only one problem: Harry is smitten with another woman.

Lady Claudia de Rossi, sister of an Italian count, moved to England at the age of eight when her mother remarried. The word in London society is that her stepfather refuses to give her a dowry. The truth is more complicated. But one thing is certain: no matter how she longs for Harry, she’ll never marry a fortune hunter.

Can Harry find a way to build a future with the woman who’s stolen his heart? Or will duty force him to give up on love?

This sensual Pride and Prejudice variation is the first in a series featuring Darcy’s Fitzwilliam cousins. This prequel is the story of Darcy’s uncle’s courtship in his youth. A novel-length historical romance, it has a happy ending and no cliffhanger.

Darcy and the Spring Surprise