The Lady has an offer.The Vicar has a Confession.Lady Madeline Blair is on a mission. Her eccentric late aunt left her a small fortune with one condition: to claim it, Madeline must marry by New Year's Eve which is now only three weeks away! An invitation to spend Christmas at Alcott Hall provides the perfect chance to snag herself an unsuspecting beau. She will be generous with her inheritance; on the condition he agrees never to claim his rights as her husband.Five years ago, Charles Bray left Finchley and never looked back. It was too painful to dwell in the past. So, when duty calls him home, he returns, heart heavy, to a town full of ghosts. Seeking any distraction, he sparks an unlikely friendship with a quiet young lady who makes him a surprising offer too good to refuse.And then there's John . . .