He came to uncover a traitor, never expecting the one woman who challenged his every move would also steal his heart.

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With Britain still reeling from the Cato Street Conspiracy and unrest spreading across the Scottish border, Major Baines is sent to Blackthorn Hall to uncover the source of dangerous political leaks. Beneath the laughter of elegant house parties, someone is passing privileged conversations into radical hands—and Whitehall wants answers before rumours become rebellion.

​

The last person Baines expects to distrust is Miss Judith Finch.

Practical, intelligent, and far too sensible to tolerate charming rogues, Judith has spent years keeping her uncle's chaotic estate—and its endless guests—from collapsing into disaster. What no one suspects is that she has quietly become an informant herself, gathering reports of hunger, poverty, and government abuses to ensure the truth reaches those who can act.

​

Each believes the other is hiding something. Each is right. As suspicion turns to admiration, Baines and Judith must decide whether loyalty belongs to the Crown, to conscience, or to the person who has become impossible to betray.

Because someone else is using Blackthorn Hall for far darker purposes—and discovering the truth may cost them everything.