Thanks to the generosity of my protector, I am a woman in possession of my own fortune. My supposed lover showers me with jewels and gifts and demands very little in return, beyond my loyalty and discretion. If they were honest, most women, even the married ones, would envy my place in the world.

So why am I willing to risk everything because I can’t stop thinking about a madman’s kiss?

~from the secret journal of Lady Nora Claremont