Spirited scholar Lucy Drysdale has long dreamed of London—the stimulating lectures, the intellectual banter. But first she much chaperone Lade Valerie, a tender young girl embarking on her first social season. Before Lucy can guide Valerie through her first society crush, they are swept into the world of the Earl of Westcott, London's most notorious rakehell. Ivan Thornton, the gypsy Earl, gained his title only because his father had no legitimate heir. Bitter over the cruelties society heaped on him when he was just a boy, Ivan takes sweet revenge—he breaks the hearts of young society women. For Ivan, the two women are easy prey for his game of deceit—until Lucy's passionate touch ignites a desire that sears his soul. And Lucy finds, in protecting Valerie from the charismatic Earl, that she has left her own heart dangerously vulnerable...