The charming seaside town of St. Ives is hard to leave-but to save her family from ruin, one young woman must face a frightening unknown . . .
Orphaned young, Oliver Sterling, eleventh duke of Kendal, lives in seclusion in his massive home, Horncliffe Manor. Convinced since childhood that he is monstrous, his only company is his guardian, Mr. Winters-a man who perpetuates Oliver's self-loathing. Still, Oliver is only human. One day, he sees a beautiful young woman in a painting titled "St. Ives Girl." Captivated, he asks Mr. Winters to find her, marry her by proxy, and bring her back as his bride . . .
Rebecca Kane is shocked that her squire father has agreed to marry her off to a duke in exchange for payment of his gambling debts. But with no option, she submits. Rebecca fears this husband she has never seen in the light of day-yet in the marriage bed, her husband is kind and gentle. And though they remain in darkness, she detects nothing odd about him. She wonders what he is hiding and soon finds there are more mysteries to uncover-about the unsettling noises coming from deep within the manor, about Mr. Winters, and about love-of oneself and one's beloved . . .
