"The Dowager Countess of Stratton, Clarissa Ware, has just presented her younger daughter to the ton, and the rest of her life belongs only to herself. Born a gentleman, Matthew Taylor chose to spend his life as the village carpenter. Growing up, he and Clarissa were close - dangerously so, considering his family's modest fortune. As a young man, he never would have been a suitable match for the daughter of the wealthy Greenfields. Now everything is different. As their summer friendship deepens into romance, they stand together on the precipice of change, with the potential to take their lives in an entirely new direction"-- Provided by publisher.