In Love's Hands: Or, for Her Heart's Sake

When Frank Dormer stands at the threshold of Heriton Priory, preparing to leave England for India, he carries with him the quiet weight of an orphaned life finally softened by happiness. The ancient Northumberland estate has become dear to him, none more so than Florence Heriton, the only daughter of a house shadows by her father's mounting financial disasters. What begins as playful companionship between the young visitors deepens into something neither can name, set against the ticking clock of Frank's imminent departure. Their bond crystallizes in a moment of terror: Florence, wandering too close to the cliffs above the river, finds herself dangling between life and death until Frank's daring rescue pulls her back from the brink. In that grip, everything changes. But the priory's walls are closing in, Mr. Heriton's mismanagement casting a long shadow over his daughter's future, and Frank must choose between the man he owes loyalty to and the woman who has become his whole world. For readers who crave romance wrapped in period atmosphere and gentle peril, this is a story of love discovered too late, sacrifices made too early, and the terrible beauty of choosing another's happiness over your own.