His Disinclined Bride ((Seasons of Change #7)

She agreed to marry on impulse; he agreed for money.

Kitty Stokes never imagined she’d be so weak as to sacrifice herself on the altar of family obligations, but when her brother impresses upon her that her only alternative to marriage with Phineas Hayworth is to play nursemaid to his own children, Kitty agrees against her better judgment. On her wedding day, the certainty she has made a grave error is only outweighed by the realization that it’s too late to back out now.

Phineas Hayworth refrained from setting eyes on his new bride before their wedding day. It was the price he forced himself to pay for being so mercenary as to contract a marriage with a wealthy merchant’s sister to save his estate from foreclosure. Her beauty, therefore, comes as a shock, as does her icy treatment, which he cannot but secretly feel he deserves. He swears an oath he will not approach her for an heir unless the invitation comes from her.

As Phineas sets out to repair the estate, dismiss lazy servants, and bring Kitty to Bath to present her to local Society, he finds his wife to be more enchanting than he could have hoped for, even in a love match. Kitty continues to hold him at arm’s length, although he suspects her feelings for him run just as deep. As Phineas’s love and desire for his wife grows, the oath he swore her begins to suffocate, and it soon becomes clear he must win her over completely or spend the rest of his life in a loveless marriage.

Romance