A Christmas Blessing — Maria Greene

...All Is Bright
Lucas Chandler, Earl of Lyons, has lived like a hermit in his Grosvenor Square mansion since his wife's death, yet it's more than grief he feels -- it's betrayal. His beloved daughter Annie is quite possibly not his at all, thanks to his wife's perfidy. But raising Annie still requires a governess, and Elinor Browning, a war widow with a small son, seems as qualified a candidate as any...until she insists on spreading her Christmas cheer through his home, that is.

Elinor's sunny optimism is only the first chink in the armor Lucas has developed. The appearance of his dead father in the form of a ghost is another. Either Lucas has lost his wits or his self-imposed prison -- and its effect on Annie -- requires further soul-searching. When several more opinionated ghosts join the fray, it's not long before he bares his soul to understanding Elinor -- and realizes that her gentle love may be just the gift he's longed for this joyous Christmas.