Peregrine Ashby, Earl of Rutland
A gentleman.
A reluctant aristocrat.
Desperate to avoid marriage.
Peregrine Ashby, the newly and unexpectedly titled Earl of Rutland, is muddling through the affairs of becoming a suddenly wealthy and titled man of means. The last thing he wants to worry about is finding a wife. After the disaster of his parentsā loveless marriage, heās sworn off wife-hunting.
But when he stumbles quite literally into a mysterious beauty wearing a mask at a ball who begs for his help he canāt deny her. Her request? Make love to her beneath the stars and save her from a terrible marriage herself. After the magic of the night is over and the mysterious beauty has vanished, he remains haunted by her and what might have beenā¦
Sabrina Talleyrand flees her home when she learns her brother has sold her in marriage to a foul man. Knowing the one thing that will stop the marriage is no longer being a virgin, she seduces the first man at a masked ball that attracts her attention. But making love to the handsome dark-haired stranger with amber-colored eyes has left her changed in more ways than oneā¦