Lucas Delgado Guerrero’s skin is too brown for him to feel truly at home in England, but returning to Mexico, which he scarcely remembers, is hardly a choice. So he remains in London, publishing an illegal newspaper devoted to reformist and revolutionary causes. One of his most popular writers is the intriguing and mysterious Polly Dicax, who delivers sharp, witty screeds by messenger every week. At twenty-five, Lady Honora Pearce is too busy writing seditious treatises to pay much attention to men. Especially when marrying would mean giving up the very rights she argues for in her fierce diatribes. She is, however, intrigued by the editorials written by one of her publishers. Here, at least, is a man with worthy ideas and ideals. Not that she ever expects to meet him, since both their identities must remain secret. But everything changes when circumstances force her to deliver her weekly column herself and, on the heels of her arrival at the printer’s shop, the police raid the premises. To protect the shopkeeper and themselves, Honora and Lucas must hide together in a small chamber. They shouldn’t have to kiss, but somehow, they do. And when Honora finds she can’t stay away, Lucas discovers he can’t refuse her, even if he can never be more than her bit of rough.

Catriona Fergusson never expected to wind up in a London workhouse, but then, she never expected to be disowned by her family or to become a married man’s mistress. Becoming pregnant when her protector believes he cannot father children is simply the latest calamity to befall her. Turned out of her home and stripped of funds, she has few choices and fewer friends. Recently elected to the House of Commons, Noel Langston is on a mission to reform England’s cruel treatment of the poor, especially women and children. A foundling himself, he understands better than most the fate that awaits those who cannot afford to care for themselves or their offspring. So when he stumbles upon the mistress of his bitterest political rival during a visit to a workhouse, he is both shocked and horrified. Upon realizing that she is pregnant, he sees an opportunity to help her and her unborn child…and to discredit the politician who most often stands in the way of Noel’s reformist agenda. First comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage. Can love come last?

To protect her family’s famous chain of gambling houses, Matilda Chapman needs an heir. Finding a suitable man to impregnate her is a complication, however, since she’s determined never to marry. How can she trust a man to father her child and then walk away? After all, she can barely keep the suitors she’s never taken to her bed at bay. Enter Desmond Faircloth, a recently-elected member of Parliament who can’t afford a hint of scandal if he wants to keep his seat. But Des needs to fulfill a promise to his constituents, and the infamous woman known to London’s fast set as Empress Maud is his last resort. The price she proposes in exchange for her help is outrageous, but as long as their liaison remains a secret, his reputation—and his career—will be safe. Matilda has no concerns about mixing business with pleasure; after all, her business is pleasure. But when their practical arrangement leads to impractical feelings, Matilda and Des must decide whether to gamble their futures on their hearts.