Once, Lord Lucius St. Albans was a notorious rake. But since a horse racing accident that nearly killed him, mistresses and gambling hells have lost their allure. His long-lost grandfather, the Duke of Warrington, has given him Ashby Manor, which Lucius longs to fill with a loving wife and children. His redemption is almost complete. Although she barely casts him a second glance, he finds Miss Adele Sutherland utterly bewitching. But as far as Adele is concerned, Lord Lucius is to be swerved; her younger sister was ruined by a seducer of a similar ilk. She will keep to her quiet life of raising her young nephew and running the family stables. However, when Lucius requests riding tuition, she just cannot afford to turn away his business, so she vows to use every ounce of strength she possesses not to be tempted by his legendary charm. Only Adele hasn’t bargained on discovering that Lucius is a far kinder, sweeter man than his rakish reputation…Or that he’s the one person who may come to her assistance when all that she cherishes is threatened with going up in smoke…