When modern-day historian Dr. Claire Sterling discovers a hidden portal in the ruins of a Somerset abbey, she expects to find artifacts to validate her academic career—not step directly into a 1816 London ballroom. Stripped of her 21st-century safety nets, Claire must navigate the rigid, etiquette-obsessed world of Regency high society while searching for a way back home. Enter Julian Vance, the enigmatic Duke of Ravenwood. Known across Mayfair as the Cold Duke, Julian carries the weight of a shattered family legacy and guards his heart behind a wall of duty and cynicism. He has no interest in marriage, let alone the mysterious, wildly outspoken woman who appears out of nowhere with strange accents, unusual manners, and eyes that seem to see right through his defenses. As Claire struggles to maintain her cover as an eccentric distant cousin, her interactions with Julian ignite a passionate attraction neither can deny. But staying in 1816 means risking her place in her own time, while returning home means leaving behind the only man who has ever truly understood her. When a hidden threat within the ton jeopardizes Julian's family, Claire must decide whether to protect the history she came to study or rewrite her own destiny alongside the duke.
