To save his dukedom, notorious rake Beauregard Taylor needs a miracle-or a very rich, very quiet wife. What he gets is Lady Elizabeth Stanton, a wallflower so invisible she practically blends into the damask wallpaper of every London ballroom.
Elizabeth has spent years perfecting the art of intellectual detachment, masking her sharp mind and even sharper tongue behind a facade of bored compliance. But when a hasty marriage of convenience forces her into Beau's world of late-night debauchery and rain-slicked St. James alleys, the mask begins to slip.
Beau expected a docile duchess he could ignore. Instead, he finds a woman who doesn't just observe his vices-she wants to master them. From the hushed conservatory to the scandalous card parties of Madame Genevieve's, Elizabeth proves that the most dangerous weapon in London isn't a rake's charm, but a wallflower's insight.
As the Dowager Duchess of Billington threatens to dismantle their fragile alliance, Beau and Elizabeth must decide if their 'convenient' arrangement is worth fighting for. Can a man who uses vice as an escape find a home in the arms of the woman who sees right through him? And can Elizabeth embrace her hidden appetites without losing her soul to the Billington legacy?
If you love steamy historical romance with forced proximity, a rake who meets his match, and a heroine who is anything but ordinary, the lessons are about to begin.