She Whispered, "I'm Too Old for Marriage" — But the Duke Replied, "I've Been Waiting for You"

📚 My three novels + audiobooks — the longest story I've ever written: https://timelesslovebooks.com Janet Crane was twelve when she came to Birchwood in borrowed black, and in the years since she had made a ruined glasshouse on the edge of the New Forest bloom for every great house in the county. The county called it her aunt's glasshouse. And her aunt had told her, so gently and so often, that at three-and-twenty she was too old for marriage, that one December morning Janet tied on a white lace cap and stopped hoping at all. Then the Duke of Alderholt came home for Christmas — the man who had once asked for her hand beneath a great oak and sailed away to war without a single letter. His little orphaned niece had not spoken a word since last winter, until she wandered out of the snow into Janet's glasshouse, and something in that warm green place began, very slowly, to wake. Six years of silence had a story behind it, and someone under Birchwood's roof had been guarding it all along. Now, with a faded packet of seeds in her hands and two versions of the same morning to choose between, Janet must find the truth for herself — and decide whether a woman who has been told for so long what she is still dares to be asked. A tender regency tale of a love that waited six winters, and a woman who learned she had never been too old for anything. Sit back, relax, and let this story carry you to the candlelit ballrooms and great houses of old England. ▶ If you love slow-burn regency and historical romance and dramatic period stories, subscribe and turn on the bell so you never miss a new tale. 💬 Tell us in the comments: which city are you watching from, and how did Janet's story make you feel? #regencyromance #historicalromance #perioddrama #dukeromance #secondchanceromance #christmasromance #cleanromance #slowburnromance #regencyera #lostlove #reunitedlovers #historicalfiction #lovestory #romancestory #narratedstory #bedtimestory #truelove #regencyhistorical #christmasstory #oldengland Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places, and events are entirely fictional and the product of creative storytelling. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events is purely coincidental. This story and its narration are produced with the assistance of AI tools for entertainment purposes only.