Whitney, My Love

After 7 year old Whitney Stone's mother dies, her father Martin is unable to handle her tomboyish antics and sends Whitney off to France with her aunt and uncle, Lady Anne and Lord Edward Gilbert, a diplomat. At 15, Whitney is separated from her childhood love, 25 year old Paul Sevarin, who does not return her affections. Before leaving, she vows to come home from France and marry Paul. While in France for 4 years, she is educated by a variety of language, dance, and etiquette tutors, coming to age as a fashionable and witty young lady. She also meets the DuVille family, becoming close friends with the daughter Therèse and their son Nicolas (Nicki). Around the age of 19, Whitney attends a party in France where she meets a mysterious stranger. Shortly after, she is recalled back to England by her father. To the surprise of her small town, Whitney returns as a sophisticated young lady. Furthermore, possessing what she believes is a substantial inheritance from her grandmother, Whitney is determined to marry Paul.

Once home, Martin hosts a party for Whitney to reintroduce her to the town and their new neighbor, a Mr. Clayton Westland. Whitney is disinterested, focusing her attention on Paul. She and Paul have a flirtation, which Whitney believes leads to a serious courtship, despite her father's efforts to push her towards Mr. Westland. When Paul proposes, Whitney eagerly tells her father, only for him to reveal that he had spent her dowry and sold her in marriage to 34 year old Duke of Claymore in exchange for £100,000 to save the family home from ruin. Martin also reveals that Mr. Westland is the Duke of Claymore and slaps Whitney, much to Clayton's displeasure. Whitney begs Clayton to keep the engagement a secret and he acquiesces on the condition that she break off the engagement with Paul. Convinced they can run away and pay back the dowry money her father spent, Whitney reveals the situation to Paul. Instead, Paul is angry as he had already started spending her dowry money. Resigned, Whitney accepts her status.

Clayton and Whitney begin a tentative courtship, filled with passion. The beginning of the relationship is tumultuous, with the apex being a controversial rape scene.

Whitney and Clayton become estranged due to miscommunication. Whitney's cousin Emily, aware of the entire story, contrives to bring Whitney and Clayton back together at Elizabeth's wedding.

**Main Characters**
Characters from the Westmoreland Dynasty Saga universe appear across the novels. From this era, Whitney, Clayton, and Stephen appear in Until You, with Clayton and Stephen's ancestor, Royce Westmoreland, as the main character in A Kingdom of Dreams.

Whitney Stone
Clayton Westmoreland, Duke of Claymore
Paul Sevarin, Whitney's girlhood crush
Nicolas DuVille, Whitney's friend and suitor
Martin Stone, father of Whitney
Anne Gilbert, Whitney's aunt
Edward Gilbert, Whitney's uncle
Emily Williams, Whitney's cousin
Elizabeth Ashton, Whitney's childhood acquaintance and adulthood friend
Peter Redfern, Elizabeth's husband
Stephen Westmoreland, brother of Clayton (main character in Until You)