A reluctant heiress resigned to her fate... Mary Elizabeth Edwardes has one of the largest fortune's in England, but has no desire to leave her quiet country existence... and even less to acquire a husband she cannot choose for herself. A dissolute nobleman bent on retribution... Trapped in a duplicitous existence since scandal destroyed his fortune and family name, Lord Hadley Blanchard has spent the better part of a decade posing as a disaffected exile while spying and seducing in the service of the English Crown. A dangerous game of seduction, and intrigue... When summoned from abroad by a former lover, Lord Hadley perceives an opportunity for vengeance at last. By employing the full measure of his seductive charm, he woos the ward of the man who destroyed his life, little knowing that winning Mary's fortune will mean risking his own treacherous heart.