A fiercely independent spinster who desperately needs assistance . . . Lady Cassandra Gardner will inherit fifty thousand pounds when she turns thirty-and just in time. She has a special purpose for her money, one no man could understand. But when her brother the duke tries to cheat her out of her fortune, she has no choice but to accept the help of the man who shattered her heart years ago.A gallant nobleman who can't resist rescuing a damsel in distress . . . Lord William Poniard is looking for a wife, but the last woman he should consider marrying is his archenemy's sister, the woman who hates him with a vengeance. Yet, when she is compromised by her brother's nefarious scheme, he sees an opportunity not only to rescue the lady by marrying her but also to exact revenge on the duke for his past betrayal.Will she accept his offer of help and at what cost?Despite the long-standing animosity between Cassandra and William, sparks fly when their attraction to one another ignites into a passion neither saw coming. Will one night of rapture unite them or drive them apart? Can she forget past wounds and let him back into her heart? And can he convince her that she is the only woman he wants?