A lady in disgrace ... When Eliza Wright's first London Season ends prematurely in scandal, she's only too glad to return to her quiet life in the country. After all, her gardens hold far more appeal to her than the happenings of the ton. Much to her chagrin, her wealthy father concocts another arrangement: a marriage of convenience to the recent successor to an earldom, a man whose title will restore her place in society. Wedding someone like the somber, detached Lord Ashton is the last thing Eliza pictured for herself. Yet with the life she thought she'd lead crumbling before her eyes, what other choice does she have? A desperate earl ... Edward Adderley, the Earl of Ashton, has spent the past six years roaming the Continent, trying to escape a scandal of his own. Ever since his first marriage ended in unspeakable tragedy, he has cut himself off from others, vowing to never place himself in such a position again. But when he fulfills his father's dying wish by returning to England, only to find his estate bankrupt and in shambles, he sees no way forward but through marriage to the well-dowered Miss Wright. A marriage only in name ... Their union is to be a business arrangement, nothing more. That is, until Edward finds himself drawn to the unconventional Miss Wright, and Eliza's attraction to the brooding earl becomes too intense to ignore. Could the fragile bond they construct blossom into a second chance at happiness for them both? Or will the secrets that linger in their pasts forever stand between them?