Emily Royal

Taciturn in the Ton

A marriage of necessity...with a man who shuns her. Despite being a duke's sister, Olivia Whitcombe is shunned by Society due to one insurmountable flaw: her illegitimacy. Taunted by debutantes and rejected by suitors, her debut Season couldn't get any worse-until she's caught in a compromising position with a taciturn stranger. To save the Whitcombe name, Olivia yields to her brother's demands and finds herself transported to a neglected manor and forced to marry a silent, brooding earl with pain and anger in his eyes, who shuns her at every turn. Charles Devereaux hasn't spoken a word since witnessing his mother's violent death as a child. On inheriting the earldom and a mountain of debts, he returns to Penham Park, his hated childhood home, and reluctantly enters the Marriage Mart. When a debutante of doubtful birth falls-literally-into his arms, Charles curses himself for being snared so easily. But dark secrets and the specter of Death linger within the walls of Penham Park, and when Charles's heart begins to soften toward his bride, it may be too late. Tropes You'll Love: Opposites attract Hero with selective mutism Heroine is illegitimate Marriage of convenience Compromised heroine Childhood trauma Brooding hero Grumpy/sunshine