The temporary wife: Lord Anthony Earheart wants a wife who will enrage the father he despises and then disappear from his life. But even after Charity agrees to this mockery of matrimony, she discovers that she's fallen for Anthony, and breaking their marriage vows may also break her heart A promise of spring: Grace Howard is devoted to Sir Peregrine Lampman, who did not withdraw his affection after she confessed to a youthful folly that compromised...

Lady Rachel Palmer, young, beautiful, vivacious, and wealthy, is a huge success with London society. She hides from everyone an inner restlessness, a nagging suspicion that something is missing from her life. Some sense of purpose. Some substance to counter the frivolity of her days. David Gower, tall, dark, handsome, but an impoverished second son, was once unsettled and rebellious as he searched for something to give his life focus. Now, as a young...

Margaret Wells has been deeply, hopelessly in love with the handsome, dashing Richard Adair, Earl of Brampton, since she met him at a masquerade ball six years ago. Passion had flared between them then, but she had fled before the time for unmasking. Now Richard merely needs a wife to give him an heir, and the quiet, demure Miss Wells seems as suitable as anyone else. Margaret, longing to ignite some sort of passion in her dull marriage, wonders what...

Kate Mannering, a lady's companion, is mistaken for the lady herself and kidnapped by a dashing masked highwayman. When she hears his story, however, before being released, she decides to help him recover his stolen birthright and soon gets herself embroiled in danger from smugglers and a would-be seducer. Meanwhile, an annoying, indolent guest at the home of her employer insults her at every opportunity but rescues her from every danger, even when...

Jessica Moore, demure governess to a spoiled young girl who is expecting a marriage proposal from the Earl of Rutherford, a guest in her father's home, is unwise enough to creep downstairs to the library one night when she cannot sleep, to choose a book to read. There she is discovered, first by the earl, and then by her employer. Though she is quite innocent of any wrongdoing, she is dismissed without notice and without a character. The earl, conscience-stricken,...

Freddie Sullivan, having failed to persuade his cousin Julia to marry him, goes to Bath in desperate search of a rich wife so that he can pay off his debts. Clara Danforth, plain and wheelchair-bound, seems the ideal choice, and Freddie sets about wooing her with his good looks, flattery, and considerable charm. Clara is not deceived for a moment, but she encourages him anyway as for once she wants to possess something beautiful in her life. The path...

Geoffrey, the new Viscount Astor, needs a wife. Since he sets no great store by love and romance, he decides it would be eminently sensible to offer marriage to one of the three daughters of his predecessor. He has never met any of them and has no preference. He leaves the choice to them and their mother. Arabella, the middle daughter, volunteers to make the sacrifice and marry the earl since her older, far more lovely, sister is already in love...

A sudden snowstorm strands Rosamund Hunter and Justin Halliday, Earl of Wetherby, at a hunting lodge in the country. Despite their initial embarrassment over the fact that they are strangers, they soon relax and enjoy a magical three days of friendship, fun, and passion. They part reluctantly, expecting never to meet again. She is on her way, after a year of mourning for her late husband, to rejoin her family for the celebration of the long-awaited...

A Rogue's Downfall. The Anniversary. After the Earl of Reardon, one of London's most notorious rakes, ruined the virtue and reputation of a young lady at a masquerade ball on Valentine's Day, he did the honorable thing and married her before settling her at his country estate and abandoning her there. Now, one year later, he has returned home to his wife and young son, wondering if it is too late to woo her properly and make amends for a year of shameful...

A Chance Encounter is the digital reissue of a previously published and long out-of-print novel by New York Times Bestselling author Mary Balogh.Elizabeth Rossiter is forever finished with love – after a disastrous episode that left her with a broken heart and a reputation that would be ruined should her scandalous secret be revealed. She sought safety by fleeing her proper station in society to take a position as companion to the daughter of a...