Inexplicably, Lady Violet Denton has been all but forgotten by her wastrel brother at a boarding school for nearly two years! She has been stuck there – and without proper funds – for so long that she has been forced to take employment as the school’s new French instructor. She could never have imagined that her once-beloved brother would abandon her in this fashion, but after such a long silence, she has little choice but to accept the truth. Out of all of the Bloody Duke’s men searching for the missing Miss Denton, of course it should be Lord Alexander Huffton, the Marquess of Buxton, that stumbles upon her in a remote section of Hertfordshire – to his great misfortune. A known rake and an avowed libertine, the marquess is more comfortable in a courtesan’s bed than in the company of an innocent young woman. And Violet is about as innocent as they come. However now that he has found her, Alex is duty-bound to return her, not to mention somehow break the news to her that her brother isn’t really her brother at all. As Alex and Violet travel toward London – and her brother – the desire growing between them flares until one night, it can no longer be denied. Is Alex willing to release Violet from his arms when the time comes? Or will he do what is necessary to claim her as his?