As London's most notorious widow, Cassandra Frey is weary of fending off rogues, rakes, and even the Regent. In desperation, she claims the protection of a reclusive earl who can't easily refute her from his remote castle—only for him to appear on her doorstep and call her bluff! Does he seek another chance for the love she also desires, or the reprisal she deserves? Tangled in a web of her own weaving, Cassandra finds an opportunity to atone for a past scandal that destroyed her reputation and his trust. Edward "Ned" Randolph, Earl of Kirtland, is fascinated to learn he not only has a mistress, but she's the former debutante who brutally crushed his heart when she was the season's diamond and he a gullible youth. Ned agrees to her seductive offer, tempted to publicly reject her afterward—until he discovers the terrible price Cassandra's paid for the treachery of others. But he'll never yield his heart again without the promise of her love—and a happy ending for them both.