What's a Little Blackmail Between Friends

She refuses to play by the rules when royal secrets are at stake.

London, 1868: Edith 'Etty' Redgrave has spent two years perfecting the art of quiet rebellion. But when her best friend, Princess Louise, begs her to retrieve a scandalous sketch before it destroys the royal family, Etty's carefully curated independence shatters.

Enter Tristan Bankes-Fernsby, Duke of Rockingham. Cold, controlled, and the Queen's personal fixer, he has been sent to contain the same problem and has no patience for interference. Especially from a determined woman who refuses to stay in her place.

The trouble is, Etty will not step aside. Every lead she uncovers collides inconveniently with the duke's investigation. Whether he likes it or not, they are chasing the same truth. If he wants to keep her safe, they will have to work together.

As Etty and Tristan follow the trail through drawing rooms, studios, and the margins of polite society, the price of failure becomes clear. What began as a single compromised sketch unravels into blackmail, misdirection, and a danger that reaches far beyond one reputation.

If Etty and Tristan cannot outthink the people trading secrets for power, Princess Louise's future will not be the only thing at risk. Can a rebellious debutante and an infuriatingly upright duke solve a royal scandal without creating one of their own?