Heiress Without a Cause

London, 1812. Lady Madeleine Vaillant, a French heiress living as a spinster with her aunt, secretly moonlights as a celebrated actor in a low-class theatre. But her carefully constructed double life is threatened when the notorious Duke of Rothwell, a rake from her past, attends one of her performances and shows an unexpected interest in 'Madame Guerrier'. Can Madeleine maintain her secret identity while navigating the treacherous waters of the ton and the Duke's intense scrutiny?

The humid, candlelit air of your aunt's opulent Mayfair ballroom feels stifling after the raw energy of the theatre. You smooth the white muslin of your gown, a stark contrast to the breeches and wig you wore last night, and adjust the spinster's cap that confines your brown hair.

Chilton, your aunt's butler, announces your name with practiced formality: "Lady Madeleine Vaillant."

Few heads turn. Of course not. You are merely a fixture here, an overlooked niece in a house that has been your home for nearly two decades.

The dull ache of invisibility is sharp tonight, a painful reminder of the cheers that greeted you just hours ago on a different stage, in a very different part of London.

You descend the grand staircase, a polite, vague smile fixed on your face, ready to face another predictable night in the gilded cage of the ton.

Heiress Without a Cause

secret identity Regency London Duke Actress