The Earl of Carlington is in trouble. His family are strangers to him; his tenants don’t trust him; and the scandals of his past are threatening to destroy his future. The only woman he has ever considered marrying is slipping out of reach. Can he persuade her to trust her heart, and will he ever be able to open his? Jane Northam is quiet, self-possessed, and betrothed to a perfectly pleasant gentleman who will never cause her a moment’s worry. She has no time for an inconvenient attraction to a slightly scandalous earl. When a wager gone wrong lands them in a compromising situation, she must re-evaluate what she wants from her life. A brief engagement to ward off scandal is one thing, but can she risk falling in love? Secrets, scandals, and the scars of the past: to be together, they must first conquer their own guarded hearts.