Doubts and Desires

<p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Louisa Northcott faces her second Season with quiet resolve. Her first wasn't disastrous but it failed to deliver the heart-stirring romance she craves. She longs for more than a suitable match she wants someone who quickens her pulse. She never expects to meet such a man before even leaving for London.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Maxwell Harlow a tall handsome and aloof Anglo-Scottish industrialist captures her attention the moment she encounters him in the stables at Highfield. He's in Yorkshire to lease the vacant Northcott Manor Louisa's family estate but he's already engaged to an aristocratic bride. Disappointed Louisa turns her focus back to the coming Season.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Maxwell meanwhile has never sought marriage. Focused solely on success during Britain's Industrial Revolution he has little interest in anything that might compromise his autonomy. But when Lord Dent an indebted viscount offers his daughter's hand for a fee Maxwell initially declines. Purchasing a bride leaves a bitter taste. Yet the appeal of securing a noble connection leads him to accept the deal. With a wedding planned he seeks a home for his future wife which brings him to Northcott Manor. There he notices Captain Northcott's eldest daughter but Louisa is off-limits.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Still fate intervenes. At a London society event Maxwell and Louisa cross paths again. One innocent yet careless moment alters everything throwing their lives into turmoil. Maxwell must choose between the rigid control of his career and the unpredictable stirrings of his heart.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Louisa refuses to give up hope. She believes Maxwell will come to love her truly deeply. But her faith is tested again and again.</span></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Just as happiness seems within reach a devastating crisis threatens everything. Louisa begins to question whether Maxwell ever truly cared. Has she misjudged him? Has he deceived her all along?</span></p><p></p><p><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)><em>In the end only faith and love can overcome the doubts and reignite the desires that first drew them together.</em></strong></p><p></p><p><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Tropes:</strong></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>✅ Victorian Romance</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>✅ Slow Burn</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>✅ Love vs Duty</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>✅ Class Differences</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>✅ Forbidden Attraction</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>✅ Industrialist Hero</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>✅ Faithful Heroine</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>✅ Second Chance at Love</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>✅ Emotional Angst</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>✅ Fated Lovers</span></p>