The Reluctant Rake

.. — Miss Althea Bronson has a sterling reputation, and she intends to do keep it that way... even if it means concealing her long-held feelings for the ton's leading rake. So when Sir Valerian Underwood comes calling, her first reaction is to show him the door. But it seems that Sir Val has good reason for seeking her out: her dearest friend, Val's naive young cousin Abigail, is in grave danger, and only by joining forces can Althea and Val hope to keep the girl safe. Yet who, Althea wonders, will protect her from the charms of the most famous philanderer in London? HE WAS ANYTHING BUT... Val knows full well that he's earned his reputation. Yet there is another side to him that few see... the responsible land-owner, the generous patron, the chivalrous gentleman willing to risk life and limb to protect his cousin from an unconscionable cad. But no matter what action Val takes, Althea, a woman who has kept him at arm's length ever since they shared one fiery kiss, persists in seeing him as a heartless ne'er-do-well. Now, as they match wits against a ruthless blackguard, his only hope is to prove that he's a changed man... one who could give Althea the kind of love she deserves...