Lucian Langdon, Earl of Claybourne, is seen by many to be beyond redemption. Dark rumors follow him and he is rarely seen in respectable circles. Which makes it all the more shocking when he appears--uninvited, of course--at one of the largest balls. But this is the perfect opportunity for Lady Catherine Mabry, who has been looking for someone with just Lucian's reputation...Catherine is desperate. She has seen what her guardian is capable of and fears the worst. Her only hope is a man more ruthless than her uncle--a man like the Earl of Claybourne. In exchange for respectability, Catherine needs Lucian to stop her uncle one and for all. But the more she gets to know who he truly is, the more she realizes that what she asks of him will destroy the man she's come to love.