Lady Mélisande Compton, Countess of Wilmington in her own right, has never forgotten Lord Alessandro Orsini, the Italian rogue she met during her visit to Versailles. When the celebrated rake resurfaces in London, Mélisande seizes the opportunity and shamelessly proposes an affair for the Season with no strings attached. Five years ago, Alessandro met his perfect match in Mélisande. Though the fiercely independent lady has sworn off marriage, it doesn’t stop him from vowing to make her his wife. While seducing her body, Alessandro wages tender warfare on her heart’s defenses. But a bitter rival also burns to possess Mélisande, and luck has provided the means to bend her to his will: a scandalous secret from her past that could ruin her.
