In Victorian York, where spirits walk the streets and folk magic endures, a clandestine courtship blooms in the wake of death.

They call her the Witch of York, but Agnes Brus, Baroness of Skelton, uses only the natural properties of plants to craft herbal remedies for the working class. Recently widowed, she plans to spend her days in her attic apothecary with Bram, her obstinate feline companion. It’s her sanctuary—the one she was promised when she married the baron in his old age. But unexpected news from the nervous yet charming Mr. Harold Evans threatens the very life she has carefully arranged.

Harry is a pragmatic man who suffers from one impracticality—his obsession with Lord Skelton’s wife, for which there is no cure. With his former employer lying in the grave, Harry’s self-control is buried alongside him. A respected accountant and moth enthusiast, he refuses to marry until he has built a name worthy of a wife. But first, as the executor of the Skelton will, Harry must stop the heir from selling away Agnes’s rightful inheritance. It’s a matter of duty, not desire, or so he tells himself.

Guided by ghostly messages and secrets concealed within the walls, Harry and Agnes unearth shocking truths and vile schemes. From their partnership, attraction takes root, and Agnes questions whether passion has a place in the sheltered life she is trying to protect. With no legacy of his own, will Harry be enough for the notorious herbalist?