Gentle Reader,

It's not that I approve of blackmail, but sometimes survival takes precedence over virtue. Unfortunately, the Earl of Winterdale has not proved to be quite the sort of victim I had envisioned. To be honest, I find that my heart is in far more danger from the handsome earl than he is endangered by my nefarious schemes.

All I ever wanted was a home for my sister and me, but I fear Winterdale is about to exact a price of his own, one I'm not ready to pay. Or am I? Where he is concerned, I'm far too vulnerable.

Damn.

Georgiana (Georgie) Newbury