Alison Fox was the epitome of the lady's companion. Prim, proper, and efficient, no one would suspect that, in her past, she had also been Lissa Reynard, successful gambler and adventuress. She had left that life behind her, but knew that it was only a matter of time before she would be found by the one man she feared the most. The handsome, iron-willed Earl of Marchford, nephew of Alison's employer, had vowed revenge on the notorious card shark who, he believed, had ruined the lives of his brother and his brother's wife. She had eluded him for years, but now he had shown up on his aunt's doorstep, suspicious of the woman who had gained the affection of his beloved—and very wealthy—aunt. How was Alison to prevent the discovery of her previous identity? And even worse, what was she to do about the attraction that had sprung between herself and the earl? An attraction that soon turned to passion, wild as a wind-blown fire.