The Marquess Returns by Jane Maguire

A brooding marquess …
When Nicholas Prescott, the Marquess of Rockliffe, fled England under shocking circumstances, he never expected to return two years later as a widower. Consumed by misery, he struggles to manage his marquessate and even more so to handle his ailing, aloof daughter—until the perfect governess appears on the side of the road near his estate. True, she has no experience, but her skill at eliciting his daughter’s smile makes her well worth the exorbitant salary he offers to secure her services.

A governess by chance …
Recently left without wages or a home, Phoebe Windham finds her life spiraling in dire directions. Therefore, the surprise opportunity to take a governess position couldn’t come along at a better time. If only her scandalous past didn’t lurk in the shadows, threatening the new beginning she desperately needs. To further complicate matters, her employer is the Marquess of Rockliffe: the man for whom she’s spent years harboring a private and futile attraction.

A passion that cannot be denied …
Phoebe’s position in the marquess’s household must stay strictly professional, of course. However, each encounter with the irascible Lord Rockliffe fans the flames of her long-suppressed desire. As for Nicholas, he never imagined that a dourly dressed, self-willed, changeable-eyed governess could be so … tempting.

Love and marriage between them are unquestionably impossible. Yet, little by little, the barriers around their hearts crumble away, allowing glimpses of a future where they find lasting happiness in each other’s arms.

As long as meddling family members and tragic secrets don’t tear them apart.