Some bonds are made to be broken...Leader of the ton and secret investigator, Lady Victoria Colchester has almost always lived life by the rules – the rules of her deceased husband. But to her horror, none are of any use when she is besieged by the deliciously heated advances of Bill Standish, a jumped up blacksmith who persists in calling her his little cream doughnut.Victoria, though, is the ideal woman for Bill. He always thought he knew who he was until he inherited Brambridge Manor. Caught between trying to find Pedro Moreno, the successor to the Viper's secrets, and running his new estate, marrying the icily beautiful and indolent Victoria seems the best way to give him his rightful place in society.But Bill's campaign is derailed when Victoria turns the tables and unwittingly stokes the fires of passion between them. As Victoria's latest investigation collides with Bill's mission the strength of their attraction escalates as both face breaking the bonds that hold their lives apart...