Kidnapped from her family at the Egyptian bazaar, Zoe watched and waited for 12 long years for the perfect time to escape the harem. After the death of her husband, chaos reigned and she fled to the English embassy. Upon her return to London, scandal swirls around Zoe. Society condemns her as ruined and her family cringes as society turns their back on them. Having survived the intrigues within the harem, Zoe prepares her strategy. Wedding a duke will solve her problem, and it just happens that Zoe's childhood friend is an unmarried duke. It shouldn't be hard to convince him to marry her.

Lucien de Grey, the Duke of Marchmont, rules society with his supreme indifference. The death of his parents and brother robbed him of any spontaneity and a reluctance to feel any emotion. His one exception is Lord Lexham, who cared for him after their deaths. The least he can do for Lord Lexham is to help restore Lexham's daughter's tarnished reputation. What Lucien doesn't expect is that the brat Zoe has changed into a sensual woman with eyes that promise exotic delights. Lucien's perfect world turns upside down as Zoe invades his every thought.

The tranquility and ability to manipulate, which Zoe learned in the harem, flees when she and Lucien spar. Sparks fly and Lucien's famous coolness evaporates. Society watches their dramatic encounters with glee.

Ms. Chase tickles our funny bone with her unique humor as the likable, yet flawed, characters discover love as children, then lose each other to events beyond their control and finally recapture love. Ms. Chase has delivered a classic.

Book Summary

Spunky English girl overcomes impossible odds and outsmarts heathen villains.

That's the headline when Zoe Lexham returns to England. After twelve years in the exotic east, she's shockingly adept in the sensual arts. She knows everything a young lady shouldn't and nothing she ought to know. She's a walking scandal, with no hope of a future . . . unless someone can civilize her.

Lucien de Grey, the Duke of Marchmont, is no knight in shining armor. He's cynical, easily bored, and dangerous to women. He charms, seduces, and leaves them— with parting gifts of expensive jewelry to dry their tears. But good looks, combined with money and rank, makes him welcome everywhere. The most popular bachelor in the Beau Monde can easily save Zoe's risquÉ reputation . . . if the wayward beauty doesn't lead him into temptation, and a passion that could ruin them both.