In this fairy tale Regency romance by USA Today bestselling and HOLT Medallion winning author, BREE WOLF, an old spinster and a young earl come to realize that love does not follow rules...least of all society's. Miss Agnes Bottombrook accepted long ago that she would never marry. Not even when she was still young did gentlemen see anything in her that would appeal to them. Now, at nine-and-twenty years of age, all hope is lost and Agnes is on the shelf for good. Or isn’t she? Out of nowhere, the rakishly handsome—and young, mind you!—Lord Wentford asks Agnes for a dance, shocking not only Agnes but all of London society, most of all, his own mother. Certain that his intentions are far from honorable, Agnes tries her utmost to rebuff the young lord and reveal him as a scoundrel, only seeking her attention to win a bet or wager of some kind. Unfortunately, Lord Wentford cannot be rebuffed, no matter how hard Agnes tries, forcing her to contemplate the possibility—remote as it might be—that he might truly…care for her. Or doesn’t he? Without her consent, Agnes finds herself swept off her feet by her most unexpected suitor, doubting her own sanity when desires she thought she had long since abandoned resurface. But will she dare believe him? Would she be a fool to do so…or rather not to do so? This is the prequel to book 1 in this series, How to Wake a Sleeping Lady. It can be read as a standalone.