The book is a historical romance. The two characters had met before but separated for whatever reason. Later in the story (midway ish?) the man’s older brother is thought to be dead and his face is now terribly scarred. He is now left with his brother’s title and 2 daughters. He keeps to the dark, won’t come out in the daylight or shave and neglects the girls as a result. She comes back and he tells her that she will have to marry him to stay and take care of the girls and she agrees because she loves him. He basically drags her to an old alter that’s cracking and falling apart and then makes off with her for their wedding night. He likes the dark so she can’t see him so he tries to keep it dark but she’s terrified of the dark.
Eventually she tells him to get over himself that it’s just a scar and he’s being a big baby and not treating his nieces the way he should. He shaves and goes to see them in bed and one of the girls wakes up screaming (neither had seen his face with or without the beard since before the incident that caused him to be scarred). I think that’s when she tells him off and leaves him to his own devices. He sacks up and starts rejoining the world he had cut himself off of, only for his brother to come back, turns out he was alive and well (ish) and eager to be home with his brother and children. This is the climax area, something makes them both rush off, I think she gets trapped somewhere dark and he and his brother have to find and help her and she’s in such a state she doesn’t even realize that her husband is clean shaven and in broad daylight.
That’s it that’s all I remember, I’ve been trying periodically for years to find the book title but I’m at a loss. I think I read it between 2004-2011? But would have been from my library so it could be older by a decade or more, I come from a really small town in Michigan.
This is not “ Despised & Desired: The Marquess’ Passionate Wife” by Bree Wolf. The female character was not scarred as well. I remember that they had a romance and some kind of scandal before that basically ruined her and then he left for war and came back scarred and his brother was ‘dead’ and he had to take care of his nieces.
Oh! And she’s pregnant at the climax when the brother returns and she’s trapped in the secret passages he uses to get around their mansion. I didn’t even remember those till just now. But yes, the brother comes back and then the girls tell him that his wife is locked in the passages and he goes in there to bring her out because the dark terrifies her.
After the Kiss by Joan Johnston
After the Kiss by Joan Johnston