A Lady and a Spy

Description

Blanche Audley’s old-fashioned grandfather cut off her mother after she married Thomas Audley and his millions of “new money,” and for the last ten years since her parents’ deaths, Blanche has lived under the gloom of his disappointment. So when she recklessly loses a thousand dollars in a game of baccarat, she will do anything to keep her foolish actions from him. Except he oversees every penny she spends of the wealth her father left her, leaving her no way of paying the debt without his knowledge.
Until Blanche is offered a deal. Alexander Whealdon, one of the most eligible bachelors in town, needs a companion to shepherd his younger sister through her first season. Blanche must take the position and use it to infiltrate the household and pass along information that will help her debtor get her hooks into the reserved Mr. Whealdon. It seems like an easy way to pay off the debt and save face at the same time. But the more Blanche sees of Mr. Whealdon’s playful side, not to mention his surprising generosity, the less she wants to help anyone else win him over.
Backing out means humiliating herself and disappointing both her grandfather and Mr. Whealdon, not to mention losing Miss Whealdon’s trust and friendship, but if she goes through with her promise, she’ll lose what might be her last chance for love.