In the prim-and-proper Philadelphia of 1820, a shocking marriage . . .
It was the perfect contract for a marriage of convenience to a woman he didn't even know. Didn't want to know. Justin Randolph, a wealthy Philadelphia widower responsible for two small children, is convinced that love is a myth. The only reason for marriage is to find a mother for the children under his care.
Mistaken for Justin's intended bride, Elizabeth Frazier seizes the opportunity to escape a forced marriage to wealthy, abusive Reginald Burton-Smythe. In contrast to Reginald's unwelcome attentions, Justin's aloof indifference is appealing, and the plight of his motherless little girls pierces her heart. Like Justin, Elizabeth enters into the marriage seeking not love, but safety. God, however, has a different plan . . .
In a move that shocks nineteenth-century Philadelphia society, wealthy widow Laina Brighton turns her grand house into an orphanage for homeless children. Staid and stuffy teas quickly give way to peals of happy laughter echoing through the stately halls. With the support of handsome doctor Thaddeous Allen, Laina is determined to give these waifs a better life, despite the malicious gossip that surrounds them. As these two crusaders, bound by honor and courage, create a future for the forgotten, they change the course of their own futures in ways they never imagined. Along the way, they make thae felicitous discovery: that sometimes people become a family in their hearts.
In her silk finery, Sarah Randolph knew she was no more a nanny than the haughty widower before her. She'd made a profound error in judgment. How long would it be before Clayton Bainbridge cast her out? She vowed to pack up her trunks and return to Philadelphia at once. But that city held memories of her lost fiancé, and sweet little Nora Bainbridge desperately needed some mothering. Sarah might not be an expert in child rearing, but she knew a few things about grief. The pain in Clayton's stormy blue eyes told her that her journey here must be part of God's larger plan for them all….