Love comes when you least expect it in this captivating new novel in the Westcott Regency romance series from New York Times bestselling author Mary Balogh.

Lady Jessica Archer lost interest in the glittering excitement of romance after

her cousin and dearest friend, Abigail, was rejected by the ton when her father was

revealed to be a bigamist. Now that she is twenty-five, however, Jessica decides it is

time to wed. Though she no longer believes she will find true love, she is still very

eligible. She is, after all, the sister of Avery Archer, Duke of Netherby.

Jessica considers the many qualified gentlemen who court her. But then she

meets the mysterious Gabriel Thorne, who has returned to England from the New

World to claim an equally mysterious inheritance. Jessica considers him completely

unsuitable, especially when, while they are still barely acquainted, he announces his

intention to wed her.

When Jessica guesses who Gabriel really is, however, and watches the lengths to

which he will go in order to protect those who rely upon him, she is drawn to his

cause—and to the man.