The Marquess of Fortune is too dangerously wicked to ignore… Tall, dark, and handsome, the mysterious Lord Smith is the exact kind of man with which the sister of a baron should never consort. But he captures Miss Emily Cross' interest at every turn, her heart fluttering wildly in her chest whenever their eyes meet. Is this how a woman falls into ruin? One delicious step at a time… Ace knows he's a bad man. He has far too many transgressions to name them all, but the list of dirty deeds grows longer by the day. His only consolation is that he’s done each and every one of them to protect his family and he’d do them all again. Still, it’s only a matter of time before the law, or a criminal he’s wronged, makes him pay for his crimes. His one hope is to secure his family’s future before that day comes. Until he meets her. His sister’s friend, Miss Emily Cross is everything he can never touch. Beautiful, kind, wholesome, and of the peerage, she could never be his, especially with the noose around his neck tightening by the day. He ought to leave her well enough alone, except that Miss Cross knows far too many of his secrets. Can he trust her to keep them? There's only one way to find out. Staying close to Miss Cross is a necessity...but now it's not just his life at risk, but his heart. ***This is a bridge novella between Lords of Scandal and the spin off series, Lords of Temptation. find out how Lords of Scandal ends and a new chapter begins in the seedy underworld of Regency London gaming hells.