The Earl of Dryden knows all about the debutante who refuses to speak a word to anyone, but he never expected she’d be so lovely, nor did he anticipate that he’d catch her confiding her secrets to a marble statue. Even more surprising, he wants to help her. Which is a mistake. A man like him shouldn’t go anywhere near a woman as lovely as Miss Chloe Finch. She’s too alluring by half, and his soul holds real darkness, the kind that would swallow such a lovely creature whole.

Miss Chloe Finch is in grave need of a hero. But when The Earl of Dryden offers his assistance from behind a statue while she is attending a ball, she is well aware she shouldn’t accept. His darkly handsome looks make him look more like a pirate than a lord, and his reputation is even worse. Still, she can’t deny the heat that scorches her skin with a single sweep of his mysterious gaze. Nor can she deny that despite everything inside her screaming that she shouldn’t trust him, a tiny bit of her is tempted. So very tempted.