Decisions have consequences as do actions, but does a man's past mean he's stuck in a prison...
Michael Charles Banshire, the sixth Duke of Darkemore?is a man who keeps to himself due to his disfigurement and mental anguish gained at the hands of a villainous foe he had never managed to capture or put down. That failure drove him to his estate in Cornwall, where he's remained in isolation for two years until rumors his quarry was seen in London draws him out. This is his last mission even though he's been shunned by the Crown.
Lady Evangeline Farnswood, widow of the late Earl of Marklesfield, is hunting for a new husband, but not one of her brother's connections. When one heated embrace at a rout leads to an odd and impromptu engagement to a man of dubious morals and darker character, she wonders what she's agreed to and who exactly her soon-to-be new husband is. Especially when rumors speak of restraints and toys during carnal play.
The farther Darkemore drags Evie into the gray and questionable world in which he resides, the more she begins to protest, but since she is the key for him to get close to the mark who'd eluded him, he can't let her go. Though they use passionate encounters to mask emotions and hide from truths, that forced proximity hurtles them closer to the edge of danger than they're willing to go. Everything comes into sharp relief on a stormy night when life changes, betrayal rears its ugly head, and survival is nearly impossible.
...or can a willingness to change set him onto a new path despite everything horrid?
