Society dictates that a governessshould be modest, quiet, and keep to herself.

She should never contradict her employer.

And, above all, she must not attract the attention of any male in the household.

But Michael Severson doesn't see Isabel Halloran as a governess -- he sees her as a woman, one whose lush curves cannot be hidden behind a dowdy gown ... and whose efforts at hiding her sparkling intelligence are betrayed by her wit.

Years before, Michael had left Regency England, falsely accused of a crime. Now he is back, dedicated to seeking retribution -- but not to taking a bride. But when his scandalous actions compromise Isabel's reputation, he does the unthinkable and offers her his hand -- a marriage in name only.

But although his bride's passions are untried, Isabel's sensuality clearly matches his own. And with each day, and night, that passes, Michael becomes determined that every kiss, every caress, will be made with one goal: to seduce his proper wife into tender submission.

March 1804

Miss Lillian Wardley's bed was empty. Isabel Halloran, her governess, greeted the sight with a combination of frustration and panic. Lillian had a reputation for being promiscuous. Curbing her wild ways was one of the duties Isabel had been hired to perform three months earlier.

Isabel did not need a clash of wills with Lillian tonight. She was fighting her own demons or rather, one demon, Lord Riggs, Richard, a man she once believed she'd loved until he had attempted to take her by force. He was a guest under this roof, and she was determined to avoid him. She didn't want him to know she was there. The pain of his betrayal was still too fresh. Isabel had no desire to be out wandering the halls, looking for her errant charge.

She should have known Lillian was up to something. The seventeen-year-old had been too quiet, too accommodating, and had excused herself far too early for bed that evening. Her unquestioning obedience was out of character and had disturbed Isabel enough for her to rise from her own bed, throw her brown day dress over her nightgown, and check on Lillian.

It was half past midnight ... and she had a sinking suspicion where Lillian might be.

Holding a protective hand around the candle flame, Isabel hurried across the hall to knock on Nanny's door. It took more than one knock to disturb the older woman's sleep.

The door opened. "Miss Halloran, is there something with the children?” Nanny rasped, squinting at the candle flame. She had the care of Mr. Wardley's three younger children by his second wife, a very buxom former tavern girl with ambition to match her husband's.

"Lillian is missing."

"Missing?" Nanny repeated without comprehension.

"She's not in her bed. I need your help finding her."

Nanny came awake. "Oh, dear." She opened the door while she reached for her dressing gown hanging on a nearby nail. "The last time she did this we found her with the stable lad. 'Twas before your time. I know you've heard about it."

"I thought I was making progress with her."

"I thought so, too." Nanny slipped her arms into her gown, leaving her nightcap on her head. "The Master had the boy transported to Australia." Isabel had heard this story, but Nanny never tired of repeating it. "He begged for mercy, he did, but the Master would hear none of it. Them with the money makes the rules. That's what my mother used to say. Let's pray Miss Lillian's not got another young laddie in trouble."

"No, I think she has her sights set higher." Isabel started for the stairs at the end of the hall. Her nightly braid had come loose, but she wasn't going to waste time rebraiding it.

Nanny moved with surprising speed and caught Isabel's arm. "One of the guests? Why, the Master's friends are all rakes and scoundrels, even if they do have titles to their names. They'd gobble up a young girl, spit out her bones, and the Master wouldn't be able to do a thing about it."

"I know," Isabel answered. She couldn't an-swer for all of Mr. Wardley's guests, but Richard certainly fit that description.

"We could lose our positions."

"Yes." Isabel was relieved that Nanny grasped exactly what was at stake.

"We'd best hurry," the older woman said as she picked up a candle stub from the hall table and lit it off Isabel's. The two women hurried toward the stairs. "I wish the Master would marry Miss Lillian off as soon as possible. Yes, she's young, but she is going to come to grief with her wild ways."

Their master was Mr. Thomas Wardley, a merchant who had made his fortune brokering wool to the army and fancied his money could buy his way into Society.

She lives in beautiful Virginia with children, horses, dogs and cats.

Fans can contact Cathy at www.cathymaxwell.com or
PO Box 1532, Midlothian, VA 23113.

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