The Devereaux Affair by Adele Clee

Two lonely children form a bond.
As the daughter of a famed courtesan, Julianna de Lacy had seen more than her share of heartbreak. As a child, her own heart was broken the night her mother dragged her from the Marquess Devereaux’s mansion and forced her into a stranger’s carriage. It was not the fear of meeting her mother’s new lover that had Julianna sobbing, but the fact she was leaving Bennet Devereaux—the marquess’ young son and Julianna’s only friend. Their parting words became a mantra she recited every night before bed.

Promise you’ll find me when you’re old enough. Promise you’ll return if you can. Two promises made and broken.
Someone is trying to kill Bennet Devereaux. The twenty-seven-year-old marquess has received copies of his obituary, witnessed two staged murder scenes and fears the third might be his last. Desperate to uncover the culprit, he seeks to hire an enquiry agent. Imagine his surprise when the only available agent is a woman—a woman who was once his childhood friend and confidante.

Two people thrown together by fate.
Bennet and Julianna must find the villain before it’s too late. But the deep bond they forged as children quickly develops into an intense attraction. How will they navigate these uncharted waters when Julianna refuses to be any man’s mistress? What options are left for Bennet when he can’t make a courtesan’s daughter his wife?