Marrying a Marquess — Christine Donovan

Courting two gentlemen at the same time-only one courtship is real, and one courtship is fake.Since Lady Priscilla was ten years old, she was told she would marry Nicholas Pierce, the future Marquess of Hollingsworth, when she turned eighteen.Nicholas Pierce dreads the day Lady Priscilla turns eighteen. That will be the day he refuses to propose to her and crushes her girlhood dreams. But she deserves someone better than his broken, damaged self. He has nothing of himself to give her.That time comes and goes without a marriage contract. Then two years later, she elopes to Gretna Green and marries a Royal Naval Officer, who then dies at sea months later during a battle with the French.When Priscilla's year of mourning comes to a close, she reenters society and forms an unlikely alliance with Nicholas. Both wish to marry but have no prospects, so they agree to a fake courtship to help each other attract a marriage partner. But during their fake courtship, Nicholas dares to kiss Priscilla one night at a ball, and vivid color enters his world. His heartbeat resets, and for the first time in years, he feels. This is great news, except Lady Priscilla is now courting someone else.While trying to win Priscilla over and prove to her that her current suitor cannot be trusted, Nicholas's past returns to haunt him. His enemies use Priscilla against him, and he must risk everything to save her.Tropes you'll love: Matchmaking mothersHero rescues the heroineDamaged heroWidowFake courtshipSecond-chance romanceGirlhood crushWidows of MayfairBook 1: Loving an EarlBook 2: Pursuing A DukeBook 3: Marrying a Marquess