She was woman enough to tempt a saint--and lady enough to be dangerous.Lady Cassandra Howard has frequented gambling hells as her father's lucky charm since childhood--but luck ran out along the way. Now, her brother intends to sell her into marriage with a wealthy, dissolute rake. Cass has done many things for her family, but this won't be one of them.Her neighbor, "e;Saint"e; Wyatt Mannering, Earl of Merrick, has chosen a bride--one as proper and virtuous as he. But when lovely Cass attempts to trick him into marriage with seduction, he's almost tempted--except she's much too naive to be a seductress and his conscience won't let him.By saving her reputation, he ruins her life. After a young man nearly dies in a duel attempting to protect Cass from her abusive husband, she flees to her burned-out home in the country--the estate next to Wyatt's, where she vows never to be dependent on another man, including the earl, who is rapidly losing his halo over his ravishing new neighbor.