Susannah Blackmon is desperate when she learns her fianc jilted her and her dowry is gone. Her guardian devises a nefarious scheme to ensnare Susannah in an unsavory life, and she knows she must flee. But to where? When she meets a mysterious stranger at a masquerade ball, he inadvertently directs her to his family's vicar, and she heads to the seacoast to escape the worst. But drat it all-her mystery counselor invades her newfound space, and she risks exposure. Will she ever redeem the life her parents had hoped for her?Nick Daventry is a widower, with a young son, whose family is encouraging him to remarry. But Nick never expects to find love again. When he discovers his inheritance is in jeopardy thanks to a crazy provision in his grandfather's will, he puts everything he has into saving it. He returns to his coastal home, only to encounter a deceiver in the form of a devilishly beautiful woman he'd traveled all the way from London to escape. But is she the key to redeeming what is lost?