A scarred marquess and a ruined bluestocking with everything to lose… Lord Marks doesn’t give a dung pile about the ton or society. His lands, his duty, and the people who depend on him are all that matter. But when a careless debutante tries to trap him in marriage, he won’t stand for it. It’s his legacy at risk. And why is another lady studying him like a side of beef, he’s sure she’s up to the same trick. He won’t tolerate such duplicity from her either and he’s going to teach Lady Annabelle Standish a lesson she’ll never forget. Lady Annabelle is determined to study the rakes of London. It’s purely for research she wants to share what she’s learned with the ladies of her station. The problem, she can’t find any research subjects. That is until she meets Lord Marks, a reclusive marquess accused of ruining a young lady in her first season. First, she needs to determine if he’s as bad as they say and then… well then she needs to keep from falling under his rakish spell. What she didn’t count on was that dangerous and mysterious men are also exciting.