Married to a drunkard and gambler, Annabelle Carruthers secretly pines for dashing Lord Darkwood. When her husband dies under mysterious circumstances, Annabelle faces destitution and offers herself as mistress to Lord Darkwood. He is loath to take advantage of the lady—until his investigation of her late husband’s spying activities throws them both into danger.
Annabelle Carruthers could only dream of being kissed by a man as dashing as Lord Darkwood. She remained locked in misery - married to a rakish drunk who gambled their lives into financial and social ruin. His sudden death - and rumors of spies and treachery - only made matters worse. Burdened with gambling debts, Annabelle feared she was on her way to the poorhouse. The only solution Annabelle could see was to offer herself up as mistress to the mysterious Lord Darkwood! Darkwood, however, was too much of a gentleman to take advantage of a lady such as Annabelle. Still, he was quite interested in rumors of her husband’s espionage - a curiosity that would soon place them both in grave danger…
M. C. Beaton
M. C. Beaton is the pen name of bestselling novelist Marion Chesney. She is a prolific writer of historical romances and small village mysteries. Born in Scotland, the author began her writing career as a fiction buyer for a Glasgow bookstore and has worked as a theater critic, newspaper reporter, and editor. The author has written under various names, most notably as M. C. Beaton for her Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin series. She also has written under the names Sarah Chester, Helen Crampton, Ann Fairfax, Marion Gibbons, Jennie Tremaine, and Charlotte Ward. The author lived in the United States, but now splits her time between the Cotswolds, England and Paris, France.
