To Have and To Chastise

Book excerpt: A lady's marriage of convenience to a strict stranger... When her wastrel Earl of a father gambles away her hand in marriage, the beautiful Lady Henrietta claims she's already secretly wed to the handsome vicar who arrived in the county just that day. To protect the lady's reputation, Alfred Conley backs up the story in public― but he exacts his price in private. Any wife of his must be subject to domestic discipline, and he does not tolerate lies. Especially those lies that encumber him with a surprise bride still being claimed by a powerful enemy. This full-length Victorian romance includes a fake husband with a stern hand, a spunky heroine who won't be bartered away, domestic discipline and punishment scenes, and a full slate of hissable villains with deplorable manners.