A Husband on Paper
When Eleanor Hart receives an emergency notice threatening the future of Hart Manor, she has just forty-eight hours to prove that the historic estate has an active preservation partner. The manor is more than a property: it is the last living piece of her grandmother Beatrice's legacy, and the final obstacle to a lucrative waterfront redevelopment scheme led by the relentless Clara Finch. Eleanor has spent years holding the crumbling house together through skill, discipline, and sheer force of will. Now the rules of the trust seem to demand something she has never allowed herself to need-a partner.Her solution is as practical as it is reckless. She approaches Beckett Reed, a gifted former architect now hiding in plain sight as a restaurant line cook. Beckett has his own reasons for staying out of the public eye, and the scars of his past have made him wary of anyone offering a second chance. Eleanor proposes a strictly contractual marriage: he will live at Hart Manor, help satisfy the preservation requirements, and receive payment in return. Separate wings, clear boundaries, and no emotional entanglements are meant to keep the arrangement simple.But Hart Manor is not a place that can be saved by signatures alone. Its failing roof, damaged masonry, and fragile historic structure demand daily work. As Eleanor and Beckett repair the building, they discover how naturally their different skills fit together. She understands its plans and history; he knows how to read materials, solve practical problems, and bring a neglected space back to life. Their growing partnership draws in Naomi, the loyal restoration assistant, and Cole Mercer, Beckett's energetic colleague, while the threat from Clara grows more sophisticated.The closer they become, the harder it is to maintain the rules Eleanor wrote to protect herself. Beckett's hidden past and his former ambitions surface, while Eleanor must face the fear that has turned independence into isolation. A discovery in Beatrice's original codicil challenges Eleanor's understanding of the trust itself: the true requirement is not a convenient legal fiction, but shared stewardship and genuine daily commitment. The paper marriage she believed would save the manor may instead give Clara the weapon to destroy it.When Beckett appears to walk away, Eleanor must decide whether to cling to the safety of contracts or speak honestly about what they have built together.
Customer Reviews
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
