Years earlier, Connell Wordsworth, the Duke of Renaud gave up the woman he wanted for the responsibilities thrust upon him. After loss upon loss, he heads to London, for a new home with no memories, no staff, and the only thing he wants in life…to be alone. He’s managing that feat quite nicely until...Lady Constance Brandley has a secret. She and her family don’t have two farthings to rub together. A spinster, long past the age of either love or marriage, she finds herself presented with a unique opportunity that could improve her circumstances. Except, that opportunity also brings the unlikeliest of gentlemen into her life—her best friend’s former betrothed, the Duke of Renaud. Thrown together with the notorious scoundrel, it isn't long before Constance discovers there’s far more to Connell, the Duke of Renaud than the world sees. And soon she finds herself longing for, everything she shouldn’t—the heart of a duke.