Penniless and jilted, Charlotte Atchenson accepts a position as governess to Lord Alistair Cassilis’ illegitimate children. When Eliza sets foot in the Scottish lord’s carriage, she faces the most dangerous foe a woman can face: a charming rogue. The danger is not only to her heart, however, but to her life, as well.

In an effort to deny her son’s illegitimate children, Alistair’s stepmother insists on a dour governess who will break their rebellious spirits. Alistair, however, decides that the pretty lass with a colorful French vocabulary who shows up in his stepmother’s drawing room is exactly what the children need. If the notion offends his stepmother, all the better. If the lass is what he needs…well, a man can’t ask for more. His stepmother doesn’t intend for Alistair to open his heart to her grandchildren, or the woman who cares for them. Her plans include forcing them onto the streets.

Olivia Mackenzie, disowned granddaughter of the Duke of Lennox, has only one foot in society and a tenuous one at that. One day at a garden party, she stumbles upon her soon-to-be fiancé in the arms of another woman. Revenge is sweet and immediate. Seizing the first stranger wandering past, Olivia plants a kiss full on his lips.

Eight years ago, Lord Nicholas Blair turned to gambling and womanizing in an effort to hide his pain when his rival, Lord Randall, wed the woman he loved. But living the life of a rogue has grown dull. His life is turned upside down, however, when a bonny, auburn-haired lass seizes him by the cravat in his mother’s garden and kisses him.

Sophie Shaw has no intention of cooperating with her father’s plan to marry her to an impoverished marquess. She intends to enjoy her freedom into her dotage while remaining under the not-so-watchful eye of her father. Then, and only then, will she consider marriage to a man who does not need her money.

Adam Scott, Earl of Monthemer, lost his father, wealth, and the woman he loved all in the same day. When his father lost a game of cards at Madam Fleming’s Gaming Hall—the same establishment owned by the woman Adam had planned to marry—the old marquess returned home and shot himself. As the new Marquess of Monthemer, Adam does the unthinkable. He sells their remaining valuables and pays his father’s creditors.

Before he can retreat to the small Highland estate entailed to the Monthemer title, live his dream of raising horses, and forget the woman who ripped apart his life and soul, he must locate and marry a wealthy heiress. A marriage of convenience will save his home, and possibly damn what remains of his heart to hell.