A Pledge of Passion — Victoria Vane

Only a madman makes a promise in the heat of passion... During a midnight tryst in a moonlit garden, Nicolas Needham fell in love -- only to walk away. As a younger son with few connections, his pride demanded that he better his circumstances before paying his suit to Lady Mariah. When Nicolas is finally given the opportunity he needs to advance -- by negotiating a contract of matrimony on his employer's behalf -- he is shocked to learn that the intended bride is the same woman to whom he once pledged himself.And only a fool believes him.... Mariah Morehaven has lived a quiet, almost reclusive life in the country. While she accepts that marriage is her unavoidable destiny, as a baroness in her own right, and heir to one of the oldest and land-rich estates in England, she fears becoming the target of fortune hunters. After entrusting her cousin, Lydia, to help her find a suitable match, Mariah is devastated to discover that the man sent to negotiate for her hand is the very same who broke her heart.