Trade of a Lifetime (Trade Wind Series #1)

A spinster with secrets. A self-made industrialist. Forbidden passion.

Lady Clara Chadbourne quietly devotes herself to covert pursuits an earl’s sister shouldn’t even ponder in 1849. Her London charity opens her eyes and cements heart-warming friendships. She has a penchant for piano but doesn’t apply herself to virtuous pieces, oh no. Clara’s tastes run ardent.

James Robertson has built a commercial empire—and a fortress around his heart. Nobles like David Chadbourne judge his uncouth muscles and humble Scottish origins. Barging into the earl’s townhouse, James meets Lady Clara—opinionated, delectable, off-limits—and is knocked askew.

The chance encounter sparks an awakening, but Clara must refuse the liaison James proposes. Discovery risks her closeness with her brother and social ruination. It’s impossible…irresistible. With promises of secrecy and no sentimental entanglement, they indulge a passion that musses more than the bedsheets. It destroys their defenses, their plans.

Their arrangement will end in devastation...or in the trade of a lifetime.