Her beauty rivaled only by her sensibility, Venetia Lanyon is nearly resigned to spinsterhood, thanks to the enormous amount of responsibility she inherited with a Yorkshire estate, an invalid brother and the lackluster efforts of two wearisomely persistent suitors. Then she meets her neighbor, the infamous Lord Damerel, a charming rake shunned by polite society--exactly the type of man that a woman of quality should stay away from.Though his scandalous past and deepest secrets give Venetia every reason to mistrust him, a rogue "always" gets what he wants. Without warning, his demanding kiss threatens to become a bachelor's undoing...and a spinster's most passionate awakening.