As a vicar's daughter, quiet Penelope Carlisle is accustomed to living on the thin edge of poverty. She's content with her small home and a friendly village—until a cloaked and crippled Beast rides into her orchard. Badly scarred in heart and soul, Viscount Graham Trevelyan has no use for love. He has a need for revenge and a child to protect. The compassionate innocent who doesn't flee his fierce visage is the perfect mother his silent daughter needs. Penelope understands the wisdom of a marriage of convenience to save her home. But how can she protect her heart from the gruff man who shows her kindness, only to keep her at a distance? And how long can Graham stay away from a courageous woman who dares tell him when he's wrong—and threatens to desert him should he continue down his dangerous path?