The Rake. Mary Jo Putney

A man's past doesn't have to map his fate, especially when a woman holds the key to his destiny in this timeless novel by New York Times bestselling author and legend in historical romance Mary Jo Putney. . .Disinherited and disgraced, Reginald Davenport's prospects cried for a dire end. But fate has given him one last chance at redemption–by taking his rightful place as the heir of Strickland, his lost ancestral estate. Davenport knows his way around women, yet nothing prepares him for his shocking encounter with Lady Alys Weston. Masquerading as a man in order to obtain a position as estate manager of Strickland, Alys fled a world filled with mistrust and betrayal. She was finished with men–until Strickland's restored owner awakens a passion she thought she would never feel. A passion that will doom or save them both. . .if only they can overcome their pasts. . . «An enduring classic. . .a towering landmark in romantic fiction that is quite simply the very best of the best.» – Romantic Times «No one writes historical romance better.» –Cathy Maxwell