England, 1871. After Portia Durham is expelled from boarding school, her grandmother has one last card to play: a private tutor to make her presentable before the London Season.

Portia expects a crusty old man. She gets Mr. Harcourt — young, no-nonsense, and fiercely private about the life he’s running from. He teaches her French, piano, and the art of conversation, but he will not teach her his name, his history, or why a man of his obvious breeding would be doing this work at all.

Portia has spent her whole life rebelling against the rules. But the more she gets to know Harcourt, the more she realizes the only way to please him is to apply herself to her studies–and to fight the attraction that threatens their increasingly congenial relationship. Because the longer he stays, the closer she gets to a truth that he has buried for a reason.

Sweet, clean, and full of slow-burn charm — a Victorian romance for readers who love a mysterious hero and a heroine who won’t take no for an answer.