She had a plan. He wasn’t part of it. And still—her heart called him home. Lady Maryann Hayes has always known her duty: marry Lord Hefferton and rescue her family from ruin. Dreams of romance were dismissed years ago. But one rain-soaked night in London changes everything. When she stumbles upon a man in need, her instinct is compassion—and her fate is rewritten.

He was lost in the dark. She lit the way. Leopold Lancaster, heir to a crumbling title, never expected salvation to come in the form of a sharp-eyed lady with courage in her voice. Maryann’s strength wakes something in him—a longing for love, for purpose, for her. And when dawn reveals the impossibility of what they shared, he cannot—will not—let her go.

Love wasn’t in the plan. But neither was regret. Promised to another and bound by circumstance, Maryann must decide if obligation outweighs truth. Because plans are practical. Society is loud. But the heart is fierce—and its call is unrelenting. And maybe, just maybe, this knight in a gown and this marquess in distress can rewrite the story… together.

She saved him once. He’ll fight to keep her forever.

🌹 If you’ve ever felt your path was already paved—and longed to leap for something riskier, truer, and entirely yours… this story is truly yours.