A Sudden Fortune
(2026)(The fifth book in the BlueStockings Being Bold series)
A novel by Dee Harper Lewis
One reluctant debutante. One impoverished marquess. One unexpected friendship.
For Claire Hastings, the stain of illegitimacy led to a life as an outcast and a future of uncertainty. Her attendance at a prestigious finishing school left her bullied and withdrawn. Claire discovers that upon the death of her guardian, she inherited his fortune and must now enter the glittering world of society.
Nelson Ridley, the Marquess of Kingston, bears the responsibilities his elder brother abandoned. He must provide for a mother, widowed sister, four nieces and nephews, and manage it all on limited funds. Despite their modest means, they live a happy, simple life until an extraordinary bequest from the odd ward of an old family friend turns their world upside down.
Claire and Nelson's friendship blossoms into love as they navigate society. She must overcome her fears and search for the answers to her parentage, while he is pushed to give up his dreams of being a writer and take his place in society as the marquess he was never meant to be.
Fortune hunters abound, and Claire would give it all up were it not for her unlikely friendship with the marquess.
Urged to participate in the London Season and find spouses, the two join forces to battle society together. Along the way, they must face Claire’s unknown past, the kindly machinations of Kingston’s mother, and the interference of others who would stop at nothing to gain their favor—and their sudden fortune.
Genre: Romance
For Claire Hastings, the stain of illegitimacy led to a life as an outcast and a future of uncertainty. Her attendance at a prestigious finishing school left her bullied and withdrawn. Claire discovers that upon the death of her guardian, she inherited his fortune and must now enter the glittering world of society.
Nelson Ridley, the Marquess of Kingston, bears the responsibilities his elder brother abandoned. He must provide for a mother, widowed sister, four nieces and nephews, and manage it all on limited funds. Despite their modest means, they live a happy, simple life until an extraordinary bequest from the odd ward of an old family friend turns their world upside down.
Claire and Nelson's friendship blossoms into love as they navigate society. She must overcome her fears and search for the answers to her parentage, while he is pushed to give up his dreams of being a writer and take his place in society as the marquess he was never meant to be.
Fortune hunters abound, and Claire would give it all up were it not for her unlikely friendship with the marquess.
Urged to participate in the London Season and find spouses, the two join forces to battle society together. Along the way, they must face Claire’s unknown past, the kindly machinations of Kingston’s mother, and the interference of others who would stop at nothing to gain their favor—and their sudden fortune.
Genre: Romance
Used availability for Dee Harper Lewis's A Sudden Fortune