Love is a singular madness… Miss Madeline Prescott’s father issues an ultimatum: marry the suitor of his choice, a man thrice her age, or find her own husband by month’s end. Yet men are not exactly lining up to court the girl known as Mad Maddie. With time running out, she chooses rashly: a rake so disillusioned by love that he may consider her strange offer of marriage to relieve the burden of having to marry at all. All she has to do is ask… After nursing his wounded heart for more than a year, Lord Jonathan Flynn, Viscount Rigsby, reluctantly returns to society, only to be cornered by Mad Maddie with a ridiculous request. If he considers her proposal for even one second, he will prove himself to be as mad as the chit is rumored to be. Questionable sanity aside, after some consideration, he agrees to court her and see if her plan holds water. What he finds is that Maddie is more than mad. She is brave, intelligent and kind. If he can’t marry for love, marrying Maddie could be the next best thing. They embark on a whirlwind courtship to convince their families of the veracity of the match. Neither anticipates the intense passion that sparks between them. But Maddie’s troubled past may prove to be a barrier that even the strongest love cannot overcome.