A Question of Trust — Angeline Fortin

He planned to get rich the old-fashioned way...By marrying into it. When Jack Merrill becomes Earl of Haddington inheriting not only a title but the devastating debt that came with it, his friends convince him that the quickest solution is a wealthy bride! When he stumbles upon Kitty Hayes, he's certain he's found the perfect wife. She's full of a fire and spirit that challenges him. She's also a wealthy heiress. But Kitty is a married woman! Can he wait it out until she finds her freedom? After years in an abusive marriage, Kitty Hayes flees Boston hoping to find protection and anonymity with her sister, Eve MacKintosh, now Countess of Glenrothes, in Scotland, while she petitions for a divorce from the man who has made her life a living hell. Mistaken for her sister, she encounters Jack Merrill who seeks friendship, he claims, but Kitty knows what he is hoping for! To her surprise, he's not at all what she expected but rather a caring and affectionate man. But Kitty knows a scoundrel man like Jack will never realize the man he could be -- the loving husband she'd always hoped for and the father her daughter needs. A man she can trust. That doesn't mean she can't want something more from him, so Kitty negotiates a deal with Jack. The money he needs to save his earldom if he becomes her lover in return. It's a bargain that gives Jack everything he needs, but he soon discovers that it doesn't give what he truly wants. When Kitty's life is threatened by her former husband, will he realize the truth before it's too late or will Jack just stand aside and let Kitty walk out of his life forever?