Chapter One

Family expectations-and the guilt that came with not living up to them-were going to be the death of Elizabeth Medford.

Given that her father, Baron James Medford, had hardly been a bastion of familial responsibility himself, having amassed a mountain of gaming debts prior to his untimely death, it seemed unfair that the remaining members of the family should expect that she, Elizabeth, would salvage them by marrying Harold Wetherby. Her third cousin might have a respectable income, but the memory of Harold's sweaty hands pawing her at a picnic when she'd been a mere fourteen years old was enough to convince her she simply could not, could not marry him.

And since she'd otherwise been a resounding failure in the marriage mart, Elizabeth had devised a new plan-one to be implemented that very morning.

The moment breakfast was over, she'd hastily ushered her younger sister, Charity, and their maid, Emma, out the door of the Medford town house and into Hyde Park for a stroll, ignoring her sister's nonstop stream of questions as they readied themselves.

They'd been in the park no more than a minute before Charity faced Elizabeth and thrust out her chin. "Now will you tell me what's going on? If you continue to tease me this way, I shall simply perish." She placed a melodramatic hand to her heart.

Elizabeth glanced behind them. Emma, acting as chaperone, trailed discreetly, close enough to keep up appearances but not to overhear conversation.

"All right. For the past weeks we've thought of only one thing: getting a man, any man but Harold, to pr