The countryside of England provided an idyllic backdrop for Charles
Brumley's and Leah Hastings's childhood. Neighbors and best
friends, the pair passed many happy days racing through the rolling
hills of Derbyshire. Everything was perfect—until Charles ruined it
all and abandoned Leah for university.
Six years later, the former friends are thrust into each other's
paths once more. Leah has been looking forward to the ball, an
opportunity to further her acquaintance with the handsome Mr. Wilkins—but when she sees Charles's familiar face through the
crowd, her traitorous heart leaps. Charles faces his own struggle: he has loved Leah since he was
fifteen years old, yet it seems he is too late—it appears that her
affections are otherwise engaged.
As the pair tentatively renews
their friendship, the spark between them is undeniable. After so many years apart, Leah endeavors to reconcile her feelings
toward her once cherished companion. But when a conniving rival
for Charles's attention approaches Leah, the threat is clear: give up
her association with Charles, or a devastating secret about her family
will be revealed. Faced with an impossible decision, Leah must make
a choice—the ruin of her family or the ruin of her heart?
