Beth Armitage had the life she wanted. Her work as a teacher gave her the independence she'd always sought and a life free from the shackles of matrimony. Yet after a harrowing meeting with the Duke of Belcraven, Beth found herself caught in a web of aristocratic power - and engaged to marry his rakish heir Lucien de Vaux, Marquess of Arden! She was determined to despise her betrothed, but when Arden decided to seduce her, she needed all her strength to keep her from surrendering her heart.