Georgiana Cartwright had always imagined that marriage would be an affair of the heart, a dream of love come true. Yet when Lord Stephen Sharington, Earl of Osborne, asked for — or rather, demanded — her hand, Georgiana found that holy matrimony could be a devilishly difficult arrangement. Georgiana had no choice but to say yes, for her family was dependent on the Earl's aid. Thus, she became the wife of an aristocrat who distrusted all women and who had wed her only to repay a debt to her late father. Even more disturbingly, Georgiana could not stop herself from falling under the spell of this arrogant man, although he believed the worst of her when a beautiful and spiteful rival convinced him that Georgiana was involved with a notorious libertine. To clear her good name, to triumph over the worldly intrigues of her enemies, and to teach a hard and unforgiving husband the meaning of love — these were challenges that would have daunted anyone but a brave and bewitching young lady like Georgiana.