She was woman enough to tempt a saint—and lady enough to be dangerous.

Lady Cassandra Howard has frequented gambling hells as her father's lucky charm since childhood—but luck ran out along the way. Now, her brother intends to sell her into marriage with a wealthy, dissolute rake. Cass has done many things for her family, but this won't be one of them.

Her neighbor, "Saint" Wyatt Mannering, Earl of Merrick, has chosen a bride—one as proper and virtuous as he. But when lovely Cass attempts to trick him into marriage with seduction, he's almost tempted—except she's much too naïve to be a seductress and his conscience won't let him.

By saving her reputation, he ruins her life. After a young man nearly dies in a duel attempting to protect Cass from her abusive husband, she flees to her burned-out home in the country—the estate next to Wyatt's, where she vows never to be dependent on another man, including the earl, who is rapidly losing his halo over his ravishing new neighbor.