A tortured soldier, a gentle spirit, and a love that will last a lifetime. A TORTURED SOLDIER Injured at Quatre Bras, Lord Rawden Durant, Earl of Beaulieu, suffers permanent emotional and physical wounds. Hiding a dark secret, he fears exposure that would destroy him. He does not want a wife, and he never intends to marry. Like his friends, the Mad Matchmakers, he battles enemies real and imagined, which an unknown villain exploits. When Rawden discovers the dreadful circumstances faced by the lady he desires, he makes an offer he never expected and finds himself engaged to the woman of his dreams. A GENTLE SPIRIT The daughter of a disgraced general, Miss Patience Wallace teeters on the brink of insolvency and ruin. Given her position in society, which defines her as chattel, she must stand by helplessly when her father sells her in marriage to her nemesis, the Earl of Beaulieu. But all is not as it seems, as she surrenders to Beaulieu's kisses. When the brash warrior bares an irresistible, vulnerable boyishness, she alters her course. Thus, Patience embarks on a monumental task to help the tormented veteran break free of his painful past and learn to live and love again.