Publisher's Synopsis
A Rogues and Gentlemen Christmas Novel
A wicked libertine whose luck has run out...Justin Langley, the Earl of Rutherford, has followed in his dreadful father's footsteps. Charming, witty and fashionable he might have been, but last earl put a period to his life when Justin was a boy, with nothing but unpaid debts, a notorious reputation and a good many broken hearts to show for his time on earth. At the age of four and thirty, his son has emulated his sire in every way. The only thing left to do, is blow his brains out and follow the path to its inevitable conclusion. Recuperating from a bullet wound inflicted by a cuckolded husband, his last scandal finally has the ton turn their backs on him, and no amount of charm will win them back this time. Justin needs a miracle. A woman with a fortune in desperate need of a husband...
When Miss Beatrice Huntingdon is left in the care of her uncle when her beloved father dies, she knows the avaricious man wants to get his hands on her fortune. What she did not expect were the extreme measures he would use to get it.
Forced to flee her uncle's house in the middle of the night to escape marriage to a man who repulses her, Bea is left with few options. Until she marries, she has no money of her own, and the only man she has any hopes of marrying in the next few hours is the infamous Earl of Rutherford. But if she must marry a monster, it may as well be one of her own choosing. When two lonely people dare to open their hearts...
Having negotiated a marriage in name only, Bea is determined to keep Rutherford at a safe distance, but the earl is equally determined to charm his intriguing new bride, after all, he has nothing better to do. Strong and forthright she might be, but Bea has never been wooed before, and the wicked rogue's tactics are becoming increasingly hard to deflect. Yet is it all a game to him, just another broken heart to add to those that languish among the ladies of the ton, or is Rutherford playing for higher stakes this time? Perhaps one where the season of goodwill could bring them both everything they never knew they wanted.
