For ten years, Lady Daisy Meadows has been in love with Auric, the Duke of Crawford. Ever since his gallant rescue years earlier, Daisy knew she was destined to be his Duchess. Unfortunately, Auric sees her as his best friend’s sister and nothing more. But perhaps, if she can manage to find the fabled heart of a duke pendant, she will win over the heart of her duke.
Auric, the Duke of Crawford … of Crawford enjoys Daisy’s company. The last thing he is interested in however, is pursuing a romance with a woman he’s known since she was in leading strings. This season, Daisy is turning up in the oddest places and he cannot help but notice that she is no longer a girl. But Auric wouldn’t do something as foolhardy as to fall in love with Daisy. He couldn’t. Not with the guilt he carries over his past sins… Not when he has no right to her heart…But perhaps, just perhaps, she can forgive the past and trust that he’d forever cherish her heart—but will she let him?
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A heart warming tale of the grief, guilt and the pain of loss – and the search for love to begin again. Lady Daisy Meadows is the young daughter of the Marquess and Marchioness of Roxbury. As a young girl, she adored and followed her older brother Lionel and his two friends, Auric, future Duke of Crawford and Marcus, Viscount Wessex. Daisy fell in love with Auric at age 11 – he was always teasing her and happy to have her around. Then disaster struck when she was 13 and her beloved brother was murdered while out with his two friends. The pain of losing Lionel devastated not only his family, but Auric. He carried the dark truth of that night with him, blaming himself for his friend’s death. It changed him from a laughing and joyful young man to one serious and unapproachable. Not long after, he lost his parents in a carriage accident. Isolating himself, raked by grief and guilt, Auric pays his weekly calls on Daisy and her mother, hardly recognizable as the leading hostess of society. But Auric has always held Daisy’s heart, even though he still views her as his best friend’s sister. Society has labeled Daisy a wallflower, with unfashionable curly brown hair and brown eyes, full figured while the perfect English lady was slender and blonde. Learning about the fabled ‘heart of duke’ pendant, Daisy approaches Lady Anne, now Countess of Stanhope, for the necklace. Lady Anne informs Daisy that it was given back to the gypsy who first gave it to her older sister. During an attempt to the unfashionable part of London where the gypsy caravan is, Daisy is determined to buy the pendant to secure Auric’s heart. That is where he finds her and for the first time sees Daisy as a lovely young woman who pulls at the heart he thought was beyond feeling. But fear of her learning the truth about Lionel’s death and his desire to protect her, Auric decides she must wed. The trouble is each candidate he considers unworthy of Daisy – and Daisy only wants Auric! When Auric can no longer deny his love for her, they marry and Daisy is ecstatic – until she reads Auric’s journal the day after they are married and not only learns the truth about her brother’s death, but thinks their marriage was one of obligation. Auric is forced to relive that fateful night and face the truth as it was, not through his guilt and painful loss. The twists and adversities of life, its painful losses and how we deal with them define our character as this author so poignantly portrays. Auric is finally able to find peace and accept the joy of loving Daisy who has never stopped loving him. Their hearts will always feel their loss, but sharing that sorrow makes it bearable and they are able to grasp life’s greatest gift, Love!
Oh so sweet
I feel a connection with Daisy in many ways.
Very touching story and likable characters.
As always, Christie Caldwell brings light to topics very seldom acknowledged.
Christi Caldwell caught me unprepared for such an emotional read – it leads you on a journey of ups & downs throughout! The heroine, Lady Daisy Laurel Meadows is a kind, gentle, unmarried & romantic young woman who has been in love with our hero, Auric, Duke of Crawford for 10 years. Their journey to find love was such a tender & complicated one with so many obstacles (mainly the Duke,himself) that created many emotions in the reader.
I was instantly drawn to Daisy & I loved her insecurities, flaws & doubting herself as a real woman. Auric took me a while to enjoy – he was too stuffy & serious but I changed my mind when his real person was shown. Love had a hard time getting these two tortured souls but eventually they dealt with the past & moved forward with their future.
I highly recommend this book & the series – you won’t be disappointed!