A corpse in the ale. A scandal in society. A love neither expected.
Lancashire, 1862. When a body is discovered floating in a vat of ale, Inspector Halliwell wastes no time in probing the town’s most prosperous brewery. Every worker is a suspect—including Jacob Longworth, the enigmatic owner whose livelihood now hangs by a thread. Worse, whispers reveal the dead man was blackmailing Jacob, leaving him squarely in the constable’s sights.
Enter Lady Jane Yate: a darling of Victorian society, beloved patroness of the Women’s Temperance League—and the last woman anyone expects to defend a brewer accused of murder. Yet Jane cannot ignore Jacob’s plight, nor the forbidden spark that ignites between them.
As passion simmers and scandal brews, Jane and Jacob are drawn into a dangerous game of secrets and lies. To clear his name, they must unmask a cunning killer before he strikes again—and before the desire that threatens to consume them both becomes a scandal all its own.
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