"She was a lady with a broken heart." Lady Jane Brawley is surrounded by too much marital bliss. Her sisters all have adoring husbands, and her brother Andrew, the sixth Marquess of Ryde, is celebrating Christmas with his new bride. Jane's own love story has turned sour. Not only is she a widow, but she has learned that the husband that she thought adored her actually had a secret mistress the entire time they were married. "He was a man with a bad reputation." Anthony Winston is a handsome ex-cavalry officer with a knack for survival and a weak spot for the ladies. He rescues Jane when she gets caught in a sudden snowstorm. Could he be the cure for her broken heart? Jane is attracted to him against her will. He is an infamous rake so besotted with Regina, the beautiful Marchioness of Darrow, that he kidnapped the lady and fought a duel to try to prevent her marriage to a rival. "Can love offer them a fresh start?" After spending the night alone in a deserted cottage with Anthony, Jane is plunged into a scandal her family can ill afford. They have only just come out of the shadow of their father's rakish past. The obvious answer seems to be for Jane and Anthony to marry. But Jane is terrified by the prospect of loving and losing again. And all Anthony's devotion may not be enough to save Jane and her family from his notorious reputation.