The Widow's Christmas Surprise

August 17, 2020
Jaxon balances family drama and seasonal joy in her fast-paced fifth Widows Club Regency romance (after Much Ado About a Widow). Lady Maria Kersey gives birth to her daughter, Jane, shortly after her unfaithful husband, Alan, dies in a duel. Because the Kersey estate is subject to patriarchal inheritance laws, Jane cannot inherit, putting Maria in a precarious financial position. After consulting with Hugh Granger, her late husband’s steward, Maria and Jane move into the estate’s small dower house, clearing the way for the new Lord Kersey to occupy Kersey Hall. As Lord Kersey plots to expel Maria and Jane, Maria and Hugh embark on a relationship and plan to marry, but their plans are derailed by the discovery of Alan’s will, which provides Maria with the financial security she’d thought lost. Because Hugh is a signatory on the will (though he did not read it before signing) he worries that if he marries the newly wealthy Maria, people will assume he had a hand in Alan’s death, and backs out of the engagement. Heartbroken, Maria flees to spend Christmas in London—but still holds out hope for a future with Hugh. Jaxon keeps the pages flying by highlighting just how high-stakes marriage and courtship were for Regency-era women. Maria’s plight is sure to resonate with historical romance fans. Agent: Kathryn Green, Kathryn Green Literary.