IT WAS PROVING QUITE HARD TO SEDUCE A WOMAN WITH HER MOTHER NEARBY, MUCH. LESS A COOK AND NANNY! Though barely out of the schoolroom, Melody Ashton was determined to save her mother from scandal. Guardian of several "orphans" (in actuality the illegitimate children of the ton!) poor Mama was accused of pilfering contributions. To make matters worse, the infuriatingly handsome Lord Coe had accused them all of blackmailing his sister, whose child resided with them! After such rudeness, his offer to make Melody his mistress was the outside of enough! Ignoring all lessons learned in Mingleforth's Rules of Polite Decorum, she told the rake exactly what he was—starting with reckless reprobate and on to debauched womanizer, self-righteous sapskull, and buffle-headed bounder. Lord Coe was quite confused! Never had a conquest proved so difficult. And never had he feared he was falling so helplessly in love...!