The House of Ashbourne - Book 2

The Debutante’s Secret

A debutante with a spine. A rake with a ledger. A city that worships gossip.

When Lady Charlotte Ashbourne steps into her first Season, she expects ribboned dances and tidy suitors—not her name splashed across The Whisperer alongside a certain marquess with a reputation and cheekbones. The Ashbourne coffers are wobbling, the patronesses are watching, and the family cannot afford another scandal. Enter Sir Thomas Beresford: impeccable, safe… and catastrophically dull.

Enter also Lord Tristan Ravensfield: once the crush she swore off, now a man determined to earn daylight by conduct, not apology.

As rumors multiply, Charlotte learns that rival hands are paying for headlines, a pilfered “letter” isn’t what it seems, and London’s kindness can be hired—if you know where to place the chairs. Between a masquerade sketch, an Almack’s cut, and a benefit that turns society into witnesses, Charlotte must pick the life she can live with: the tranquil future everyone approves of… or the dangerous honesty she actually wants.

Meanwhile, the House of Ashbourne fights back with brains and receipts—Eleanor with a pencil like a sword, Henry with polite violence, Jonathan with arithmetic (and an inconvenient heart), and the Countess with artillery-grade etiquette. Because in this family, you don’t burn your own—you turn the room.

The Debutante’s Secret is Book Two in The House of Ashbourne series—smart, scandal-kissed Regency romance with wit, warmth, and just enough bite. It can be read as a standalone, but the secrets taste richer in order.

Expect:

• Rake redemption & second-chance sparks

• Forbidden garden near-kiss (mask optional)

• Gossip-paper warfare, receipts and all

• A heroine who weaponizes charm, not lies

• A proposal made in daylight—on terms

Perfect for readers of Sarah MacLean, Julia Quinn, and Evie Dunmore who like their ballrooms with banter, their scandals with strategy, and their happily-ever-afters hard-won.