Dead Men’s Shoes

Sibyl Faunthorpe married for love. Poverty has made her question the bargain.
When her wealthy uncle returns to England, the promise of an inheritance offers Sibyl a way out of desperation. But claiming a place in his luxurious household means concealing the life she has built with Alexis Secretan—and a marriage her family knows nothing about.
Determined to exchange hardship for security, Sibyl leaves Alexis behind and steps into a world of rivalry, calculated generosity, and dangerous expectations. Wealth seems close enough to grasp, yet every opportunity brings another compromise. An unwelcome suitor tightens his hold, and the secrets she thought she could abandon begin to threaten her future.
Then a suspicious death turns private deception into a matter of life and death. With accusations gathering and appearances proving unreliable, Alexis must confront the past they share—and discover how far ambition, fear, and betrayal have carried them.
Dead Men’s Shoes blends historical mystery with romantic suspense in a story of inheritance, concealed marriage, and love tested by greed. For readers drawn to family secrets, morally complex characters, and the perilous distance between respectability and ruin.