Nothing will keep Louisa from searching for an ancient fortune. Except perhaps a phantom who turns out to be a most eligible bachelor.
When Louisa Banner learns that her family's finances have dwindled to nearly nothing, she finds herself whisked away to a quaint Northumberland village to live with her enigmatic great-aunt. Nestled near the romantic ruins of an ancient castle, Louisa is soon ensnared by local lore—stories of lost treasures and benevolent spirits that wander the crumbled stones and moonlit fields.
Erasmus Grey, a stuttering heir and a secret Gothic novelist, is as haunted by society's judgments as he is by the insistent voices of family ghosts. To escape the relentless matchmaking of London society—and to appease his ghostly ancestors—he takes refuge in his ancestral estate, near the same ruins that captivate Louisa.
When fate—or perhaps something more spectral—draws Louisa to a forgotten graveyard, she encounters Erasmus, a living man with a tombstone for a namesake. As Louisa grapples with the bewitching notion that she may have found a kindred spirit in a "hauntingly" handsome neighbor, Erasmus wonders if he's discovered a rare soul who can look past his societal shortcomings and into his secretive heart.
In this closed-door romance, where ethereal whispers serve as matchmakers and ancestral ghosts bestow timeless wisdom, Louisa and Erasmus must decide whether to remain hidden in the shadows of their pasts or step into the soft glow of a love that promises a lifetime of understanding and acceptance.