Originally published as "Lord Deverill's Heir" this novel was rewritten as a historical romance.
Justin Deverill, the new Earl of Strafford, is a military man who is strong, shrewd, stubborn, and very possibly one of the most handsome men to ever become an earl. As for his cousin, Arabella, whom he must wed or gain nothing but an empty title, she is more like him that either of them would like to admit. Faced with an order from her father’s will to marry this man, she rebels. Since her father is dead, she has no other target except the new earl. In him, however, Arabella meets her match.
These two flamboyant people do wed, despite the fact that Justin believes Arabella has betrayed him before their wedding and thus, whether they are married or not, there is hell to pay.
Who does the earl believe is his wife’s lover? There is only one snake in the garden: the young and charming Comte de Trecassis, a relative visiting from France. The earl wants to kill the comet, but he holds off because he knows the young man came for a reason. The earl wants the Comte de Trecassis under his eye until he figures out why. He knows the Frenchman is up to no good: he just doesn’t know what the no good is.