A Lord Apart: 2 Ashford, Jane

Marcus Lithgow returns from war to find his family estate on the brink of ruin and a marriage arranged to save it — to a woman he's never met. Kate Meacham, raised by an obsessive scholar father, has spent her life cataloging ancient manuscripts in dusty silence. Neither wants this union, but necessity binds them. What starts as awkward obligation becomes something neither expected when Kate's sharp mind and Marcus's battle-hardened reserve begin to crack open. Jane Ashford writes Regency romance with emotional intelligence and wit, giving her characters real obstacles beyond mere misunderstanding. This is the second in the Duke's Sons series but stands alone perfectly. For readers who want their historical romance grounded, their heroics quiet, and their happy endings earned through actual growth rather than grand gestures.