Melissande — Diana Delmore

Arrogant and Most Improper

...was the only way to describe Gideon Maitland. The handsome Marquess of Rochedale, he dared to steal a kiss from the lovely Melissande de Castellane when they met by chance by his curricle. Later, after a proper introduction, the young noblewoman was positively aghast to discover that the scoundrel was none other than her late stepfather's heir, the very man who planned to sell her family's ancestral home!

Although they sparred from the moment they met, Melissande found herself inexplicably breathless in the presence of the proud lord... and when the two were unwittingly swept into a tangle of adventures with smugglers, a spy, and a scheme to save her sister's reputation, the sparks of fury seemed to disguise something, quite delight- fully different. And Melissande had to ask herself, "Is it love?"

Hero: Gideon Maitland, Marquess of Rochedale
Heroine: Melissande de Castellane