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“If you read only one debut this year,this is the one to read! Incredibly sexy . . .surprisingly sweet. I loved A Lady Awakened!”—New York Timesbestselling author 
Eloisa James
 N         
ewly widowed and desperate to pro-tect her estate and beloved servantsfrom her malevolent brother-in-law, Martha Russellconceives a daring plan. Or rather, a daring plan toconceive. After all, if she has an heir on the way, herfuture will be secured. Forsaking all she knows of propriety, Martha approaches her neighbor, a Londonexile with a wicked reputation, and offers a strictly busi-ness proposition: a month of illicit interludes . . . for a fee. TheophilusMirkwood ought to be insulted. Should beappalled. But how can he resist this siren in widow’s weeds, whose offer is simply too outrageously tempt-ing to decline? Determined she’ll get her money’s worth, Theo endeavors to awaken this shamefully neglected beauty to the pleasures of the esh—only to nd her dead set against taking any enjoyment inthe scandalous bargain. Surely she can’t resist himforever. But could a lady’s sweet surrender open theirhearts to the most unexpected arrival of all . . . love?
 
Chapter One 
N   
OT 
 
ONCE
 
in ten months of marriage had she wishedfor her husband’s demise. Nor would she be glad of theoccurrence even for a moment. Even for this moment.To do so would ill become her.Martha sat straighter in her chair, smoothing herblack skirts. One’s conduct might owe more to principlethan to sentiment at times, admittedly. But principlecould be relied upon. Principle steadied a person; bracedher up through those same occasions, in fact, where sen-timent made only a sluggish kind of mire to sink into.She finished with her skirts and folded her hands onthe tabletop. “Well,” she said into the silence of her sun-lit parlor. “This is all legally sound, I don’t doubt.”Mr. Keene gave a little bow from his place at the ta-ble’s foot, affording her a glimpse of the bald spot atophis head. He did not meet her eyes and had not done sosince beginning to read. A faint sifting sound came fromthe papers before him, as his hands lined up the cornersand made other adjustments of no particular purpose.Really, he ought to stop that.Across the table her brother sat tight-lipped, his jawworking as if to swallow something of fearsome dimen-
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