The Comte — Edie Harris

A word from her lips can bring him to his knees. Gaspard Toussaint is known throughout 1820 Parisian society as the destitute “molly comte,” but his entire life is a twisted mass of secrets and lies as a spy for the French Crown. His final covert act will have him fleeing his broken country forever…but before he can escape, he needs the power and safety that only money can provide. No one has more money than English heiress Claudia Pascale. The only child of a wealthy tradesman, Claudia has continually failed to catch a husband -- due in large part to her uncontrollable stutter. Spurned by a dashing lieutenant and desperate to escape her parents' cruel household, she joins forces with the seemingly harmless Gaspard to learn how to properly ensnare a spouse: through seduction. All too soon, Gaspard's lessons in delicious debauchery and sinful sensuality make Claudia suspicious that he is not who, or what, everyone believes him to be. And Gaspard realizes his quest to possess her is becoming less about her dowry…and more about the woman herself.