Bestselling author Lynn Morris weaves an inspirational Regency era romance rich in period detail. The Honourable Miss Valeria Segrave is truly the unwanted stepchild. When her mother married the Earl of Maledon, he took Valeria into his home, but he never accepted her. When her stepfather suddenly dies, Valeria must take charge of her gentle, distraught mother and the vast estate that now belongs to her six-year-old half-brother, the new Earl of Maledon. Valeria finds every day a struggle as she tries to establish authority with servants, stewards, and solicitors--all men. The only person that can help her is a distant kinsman of the Earls of Maledon, Alastair, Lord Hylton. Handsome and noble, she senses under the veneer of his flawless and gentlemanly behavior that she does not quite measure up to Lord Hylton's expectations of a refined lady. In light of that, accepting his help and feeling under a burden of gratitude to him is almost unbearable. When at last Valeria goes to London for the glittering Season, she gets into a series of escapades. To her chagrin, it seems that Lord Hylton is always there to witness, criticize, and correct her behavior. But if she must engage in this battle of wits and wills with Alastair, Valeria vows she's going to win--one way or another.