December 1816. Ryder, Lord Madigan, has never got over the loss of his childhood sweetheart, Adele, the woman who abandoned him at the altar. Now she's come home, a widow. Wrongly believing Ryder to be dead, Adele has returned to her Dorset village to reunite with her family and pick up the pieces of her life. Despite everything, she has never stopped loving the man she jilted. But can she bring herself to tell Ryder the truth about why she left him? Ryder too is keeping secrets. If the two former lovers are to have a second chance at happiness, they must overcome their pride and admit their true feelings for one another.