On the night of the Weatherby masked ball, a bad decision results in a passionate, anonymous encounter for Victoria Sloane. The ball has a reputation for being cursed, a curse she has mocked. Within days, her secret rendezvous is exposed, her husband is dead and she is carrying the child of an unknown lover. Some might say the death of her husband was a blessing not a curse, but that event is the least of her problems especially once she realizes she shares a secret with the honorable and determined solicitor. Joseph Smythe-Wellesley is left to clean up the messy affairs of the deceased Earl of Doncaster and his strangely vulnerable wife, Victoria. Hard to comprehend and determined to protect the heritage of her unborn child, she challenges Joseph, who has foolishly questioned her child’s paternity. Joseph was at the ball too, but he has put the night of strange, illicit passion behind him, knowing he will never see the lovely creature again—whoever she was. Content Mild sex and an instance of infidelity.