Joan Haste

In Victorian England, a woman's legitimacy can mean everything. Joan Haste has nothing but her beauty and her mystery: born of unknown parentage, raised by relatives who see her only as a burden and an embarrassment. When she encounters Captain Henry Graves in the ruins of a medieval church, both their lives change forever. A daring rescue gone wrong leaves them bound together by injury and impossible attraction. But Joan carries a secret that threatens to destroy any hope of happiness. As their love deepens, the shadows of her past close in, and the question becomes not whether their love will survive, but whether Joan's hidden truth will emerge first to shatter everything. Haggard weaves a tale of social prejudice, forbidden passion, and the crushing weight of Victorian morality that feels as urgent today as it did a century ago.