BLURB:

Enter the world of the most notorious gambling den in London, where matches are made… unusually. Welcome to the world of THE LYON’S DEN: The Black Widow of Whitehall Connected World, where the underground of Regency London thrives… and loves.

What’s a young lady to do when a powerful lord tries to abscond with her and make her his mistress?

When you’re Miss Honoria Quinn, you leap from his carriage and run like the wind to find some place to hide. Trouble is, Honoria mistakenly chooses The Lyon’s Den, a disreputable gambling house as her sanctuary, a move that ends up with her having to make another choice at the hands of the Den’s match-making proprietor Mrs. Dove-Lyons: wed a complete stranger or become the lord’s mistress.

No good deed goes unpunished…

Thomas, Lord Braeton agrees to attend a wager at The Lyon’s Den only to keep his brother-in-law out of trouble. What he doesn’t count on is becoming embroiled in one of Mrs. Dove-Lyons’s schemes to marry him off. But when he tries to come to the aid of another peer, Thomas finds the only honorable thing he can do to save Miss Quinn’s reputation is put aside his hopes for a love match for himself and instead offer to marry her.

As Thomas and Honoria set out on a wary journey to matrimony, can they learn to live together and hope love will grow between them? Or are they doomed to a loveless marriage of convenience from which one or both will want to escape?

I’m continuing with the meeting of Miss Honoria Quinn and Thomas, Lord Braeton in Mrs. Dove-Lyon’s office. I have, however, skipped ahead a little bit. Thomas and Geoffrey are having a discussion about whether Thomas should marry Honoria or not.

EXCERPT:

“Were I given my choice, Geoffrey, I should marry for love, not status,” Thomas sighed. He’d cherished the hope of a life with a woman he could love by his side,  however, that now seemed unlikely. “That was but a fancy and I am certain I will be just as happy with Miss Quinn as with any other gently bred young lady.” God, he hoped he would. She was comely enough and had a good bit of spirit–he did like that about her. She’d stood up to Danford and given him a cracking good slap. “In any case, I will let the lady decide.” He made as if to turn back toward the ladies when Geoffrey’s grasped his shoulder again.

“What if she could marry someone else?” Geoffrey’s tone was insistent, and Thomas pivoted back to him.

And a little more for good measure…

“Are you perhaps offering yourself as potential husband instead of me, Geoffrey?” That raised Thomas’s eyebrows not a little. His friend was somewhat high in the instep, so such an offer would be completely out of character.

“Of course not.” The snort of distain was more the Geoffrey he knew. “But Mrs. Dove-Lyons could find her someone. It’s her business, don’t you remember?”

Oh, yes. Thomas was well aware of the Black Widow’s penchant for helping unsuspecting gentlemen to a bride. “I do. And I suspect that is why she asked me to come in here with Danford. She’s tried to trap me into marriage before. I was able to avoid it that time. Today’s outcome will likely be different.” The woman had played her cards well. Somehow, she’d known of his stance on honor. Known he’d not let a woman suffer the loss of her reputation when he could so easily remedy it. “She will earn her fee today.”

Geoffrey’s face had drawn down in a monstrous frown. “Only if you allow yourself to be used by her.” Biting his bottom lip, his friend cocked his head. “What if you pay the fee, but ask her to find some other gentleman in want of a wife?”