What if the love of your life returned on the eve of your wedding to another?

That’s the question Mary-Ann Seaton faces in A Vow for the Viscount. I’ve always been drawn to stories of second chances and unbroken promises. Mary-Ann believes she has chosen a sensible path forward — until the man she once loved, believed lost to war, walks back into her life. Writing this book reminded me that love isn’t always tidy or timely, but it’s often the most powerful force we carry.

Here’s a peek into the moment that changes everything for her…

Mary-Ann stood before the full-length cheval mirror, the hem of her nearly finished wedding gown pooled in soft folds around her feet. Her auburn hair had been swept back loosely for the fitting, a few tendrils falling over her shoulder. The gown was lovely, a rose-gold satin with delicate ivory trim at the neckline, everything she had imagined for her future.

Excerpt

The sound of muffled voices in the foyer reached their ears. It was an urgent male voice. From where they were, it sounded like a low commotion until there was a loud crash, followed by the butler’s voice.

Mary-Ann frowned. “Did someone—?”

The dressmaker straightened. “Shall I see what’s amiss?”

But Mary-Ann was already moving. She slipped from the small, raised platform, her slippers silent against the carpet, the gown rustling around her legs. She entered the hall just as another voice rose, a voice she hadn’t heard in years.

Her heart stopped. For a moment, it was as if the world had narrowed to a single, impossible sound. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t. And yet her feet moved of their own accord as if her body had recognized what her mind still refused to believe. The echo of his voice was so familiar that it struck her like a memory made real. She could smell dust and cold air drifting in from the open door, but her senses were drowning in something deeper, something older. She moved without realizing it, her hand finding the polished banister to guide her.

She reached the top of the stairs and looked down.

He stood below in the center of the foyer, a little thinner, his shoulders slightly stooped, his travel-worn coat dusted from the road. His dark brown hair was longer than she remembered, threaded with silver at the temples. And his face, so familiar it hurt, was pale, drawn, but unmistakably his. Quinton Hollingsworth. Viscount Rockingham.

Alive. Her knees weakened, and for a moment, she forgot how to breathe.

He looked up, and their eyes met.

Everything else fell away. Her hand pressed against the banister, the only thing holding her upright. Her heart stumbled, her breath caught, and for a moment, the years collapsed inward.

Her voice, when it came, was barely more than a whisper. “I thought I’d never see you again.”

She didn’t know what happened to him. No one had. The letters had stopped, replaced by silence. Even the War Department had no answers. Only rumors. Only waiting. Only the ache of not knowing for three long years.

And now there he stood. Whole. Real.

Mary-Ann must now choose between a safe, steady future and the man who once vowed to return for her. A Vow for the Viscount releases October 18, but you can pre-order today for only $0.99.

👉 Pre-order A Vow for the Viscount here

Sometimes love doesn’t stay buried. Sometimes it comes back when you least expect it.

About the Author

Ruth A. Casie is a USA Today bestselling author of swashbuckling action-adventure romance. Whether it’s Regency England, a dash of Gothic mystery, or a second chance at love, her stories weave romance with suspense and heart. When she’s not writing, she enjoys time with family, a good puzzle, and chai tea.

Connect with Ruth: www.RuthACasie.com