In the glittering but merciless world of Regency England, Josephine Hartwell lives by her talent alone. As a gifted portrait painter from modest means, her hands have earned her a small but growing reputation-and a string of society patrons who tolerate her skill while scorning her station. But everything changes the day she receives a commission from a man who rarely shows his face in public: the reclusive and widowed Alexander Hawthorne, Duke of Blackbourne. Haunted by grief and rumors of a scandalous past, Alexander has lived in shadow since the death of his wife. His request is simple: restore an old portrait and paint something new. What he doesn't expect is the woman who arrives-sharp-tongued, observant, and unafraid of the ghosts that linger in his halls or heart. As Josephine and Alexander grow closer through their shared art and buried pain, a love ignites-one powerful enough to challenge the iron rules of their world. But theirs is no ordinary courtship. A Duke cannot marry a commoner without consequence, and Josephine is not a woman who will fade into the background for anyone. Faced with society's scorn, political threats, and a vindictive peeress determined to stop the match, they must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for a chance at happiness. With brush and courage, Josephine paints not only a portrait of a man-but of a life they might build together. And Alexander, long resigned to duty, finds something he never thought he'd feel again: hope. A love forged in secrecy must now stand in the light. But will love be enough to silence centuries of tradition?

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