Love's Promise — Cheryl Holt

With the death of his older brother, Michael Wainwright, Viscount Henley, has become heir to his father, Duke of Clarendon. The Wainwright men are renowned cads, and as his brother's will is read, it's discovered that he sired an illegitimate son and has left the eight-year-old boy his entire fortune. Michael decides to bring the boy to London so he can be showered with all the wealth and status guaranteed by his inheritance. But first, he has to gain custody from the boy's aunt, who is determined to keep her nephew away from Michael's dissolute family.

Frances “Fanny” Carrington has always lived in a small village in the country. As a newborn, she was left in a basket on the church steps and raised by the vicar and his wife. But they've died, and Fanny is in dire straits, struggling to raise her nephew, to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. When she begins to receive correspondence from Michael, asking for custody, she can't help but be suspicious. For years, the Wainwrights have refused to claim her nephew or provide financial assistance to him. She's alarmed by their sudden interest. What can it mean?

As Michael finally meets Fanny, their attraction is swift, blatant, and dangerous. He can't fight the need to have her at any cost, and gradually, he lures her into his decadent life of affluence and privilege. But she's never possessed the callous nature required to thrive in the cut-throat world of the aristocracy, so she could never understand the peril she faces from those who would do anything to keep them apart…