The Debutante's Secret
(2025)(The second book in the House of Ashbourne series)
A novel by Polly Elizabeth
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:
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.
Genre: Historical Romance
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