A Divorcee and Her Captain

Edith Whitmore, Countess of Kipton is drowning in her loveless marriage. Her husband is a cruel cold philanderer. Accepting he will never change and even more importantly that she will never forgive him she seeks a divorce-an uncommon occurrence for a female of her rank and her family refuse to support her. Edith is an emotional wreck, desperate and daring she needs to escape. Her last outburst resulted in her husband uttering the idle threat of Hanwell Asylum.Captain Charles Barton grew up next door to Edith Whitmore, then the only daughter of a duke. They shared a privileged upbringing, Edie being prepared for prestigious marriage and Charles, a second son, a distinguished career in the navy. Charles never dared reveal his true feelings for her, knowing their union was impossible and harboured his burning flame from afar, oceans apart helping to dull the ache of disappointment she would never be his.Docked in London and visiting his parents, the last thing he could ever imagine was Edie bounding through the shared door, desolate and frantic to escape her marriage. Charles hated to leave her in this state but he had a duty to the Royal Navy, how could he explain this? And he had no solution for her. Her mere utterance of the word divorce would set off a scandalous chain of events her family and husband would never allow. But Charles knew he had to think of something, he would never forgive himself if he turned his back on her. Before Charles even has a chance to consider how he could help, Edie take’s their destiny into her own hands and leaves him no choice.*Part of ’A Society of Scandal’, a multi-author collaboration aiming to highlight the joy of reading historical romance and escaping to the past in this wondrous genre.TW: This story involves extramarital relations.