A fiancé's deceit leads a practical lady to embrace her true passion in this Regency romance by the author of The Devilish Marquis.

Having never seen a love match that didn't end in disaster, Lady Maryann Rivington is determined to wed for practical reasons. So the last thing she wants to hear is a slanderous accusation against her carefully-chosen betrothed. She can't imagine why the handsome stranger who approached her in the Botanic Gardens is so intent on preventing her marriage. But she is so befuddled by the passion in his eyes that she no longer feels rational in the least.

Major Stephen Fant spent months gathering evidence against the man who had destroyed his brother, and now the scoundrel is finally within his reach. Though he knows it could jeopardize everything, he simply has to warn his quarry's beautiful fiancée that her betrothed is under investigation. After all, Lady Maryann is far too delectable for the likes of the lowly Lord Tammadge. And as the major gazes into her wide gray eyes, he realizes he'd do anything to keep her safe—except stay away.