A wedding was not in the earl’s plans—but a bold proposal has him thinking twice . . . “I want you to marry me . . .” Miss Georgiana Wickford’s rebellious spirit has been rather squashed by her controlling stepmother, but she is still determined to avoid the marriage mart. Instead, she has a plan—she’ll propose a marriage of convenience! She hasn’t spoken to the Earl of Ashenden since their childhood friendship was torn apart, but now Edmund is her only hope. Edmund refuses to take any bride, especially the unsuitable country miss who abandoned him years ago. But when he sees beautiful Georgie at the mercy of society’s rakes, it arouses his protective instincts. And soon the earl is tempted to claim the daring debutante for himself!