1826. At first sight, Ellen Turner does not seem the type to elope with a stranger. So, when the young heiress vanishes from her boarding school in the arms of the rugged scoundrel Edward Wakefield, and the pair are sighted in a carriage racing from Gretna Green to the Port of Dover, her virtue becomes the subject of hot public debate. In the ensuing court case, Ellen keeps a cool head. Until she discovers who is judging the trial—her mortifyingly handsome and charming neighbour, Thomas Legh of Lyme Park. Ellen faces a choice. To pursue the husband of her dreams would mean risking everything. But when a lady's reputation already lies in tatters, what has she to lose?
