Formerly titled her scandalous wish how can a marriage born of desperation heal two shattered hearts? philomena pomfrett has always known her future would be decided by duty, not desire. at her dying brother's insistence, she reluctantly agrees to one final london season-her last opportunity to secure a husband who will protect her from scandal and poverty. scarred by a fire that nearly claimed her life, and betrayed by the only man she ever loved, philomena harbors no illusions of romance. a marriage of convenience is the best she can hope for-if she can find a man willing to overlook her scars. bradford, viscount kingsley, fled england to escape the agony of losing the woman who once meant everything to him. three years later, he returns home, hardened by heartbreak and determined to shut the door on the past. but when he chances upon a mysterious woman in the shadows of a moonlit arbor, her spirit and quiet strength captivate him. he doesn't recognize philomena until he's already stolen a forbidden kiss-one that seals both their fates when her brother discovers them and demands satisfaction. bradford refuses to draw swords with a dying man and instead offers marriage. but philomena rejects his half-hearted proposal, certain he'll only grow to despise her once he learns the full extent of her disfigurement. yet when her brother collapses and she faces a desperate choice between security and ruin, philomena agrees to a union she believes can only be superficial. in a world of whispered secrets and glittering ballrooms, philomena and bradford must confront the pain of the past and the hope that refuses to die. can a marriage born of desperation heal two shattered hearts?