She's a woman in need of a dashing rescue... Miss Gabriella Winston finds herself on the auction block, about to be sold into marriage. That is, until a stunning stranger swoops in and saves her. He's kind and handsome, and her relief would be complete if he didn't propose rules along with marriage... He'll need one heir, and then, they'll go their separate ways. It's a tempting offer, but no one in her life has ever really loved her. If she accepts, she's giving up any hope of ever having her own happily ever after. He's broken inside... The Viscount of Vanity has a secret. He spent his youth fighting a disease he was certain would consume him. Only by the most disciplined of behavior has he overcome his childhood illness, but not the heartache that came with it. No matter how tempting her beauty, he can't allow his control to slip and fall in love with Gabriella. Losing his heart could mean risking his life. But when she is threatened by the very family that should love her, he can't help but rush to her rescue. And the discipline that's always kept his life in order... it's slowly slipping away.