A flame-haired aristocrat, unlucky in love, who finds sanctuary in America: SARAH FERGUSON, the Duchess of York, found inspiration in her own family’s history for debut novel Her Heart for a Compass. This exclusive extract introduces the heroine on the eve of her betrothal to a man who loathes her – and sees her faced with a monumental decision.
Montagu House, London, Wednesday, 19 July 1865
Ah, there you are! It’s fast approaching midnight, my dear.”
Lord Rufus Ponsonby, the Earl of Killin, was considered by most to be a presentable-looking man. His tall, rather lean figure was always immaculately dressed. His aquiline profile was suitably haughty, as befitted an earl of the realm. Every aspect of him was austere, repressed, and calculated.
Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott took an involuntary step back as he loomed over her. “I’m all too aware of that.”
As ever, he seemed oblivious to her prickly reaction to him.
“Why are you skulking in the shadows? Perhaps you are…
