no indication that he plans to marry. And in all truth, why should he? When it comes to playing the consummate rake, nobody does it better …’ Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, April 1814. Having spent his twenties in a rakish pursuit of pleasure, Anthony Bridgerton knows it’s high time he settled down and ensured the continuation of the Bridgerton line. Edwina Sheffield is the most beautiful debutante of the current season. She is sweet, innocent and eminently biddable – Anthony is sure she’ll make a perfectly acceptable wife and vows to make her his. The only obstacle in his way is Edwina’s older sister, Kate, who is determined to do all she can to allow her sister the chance to marry for love rather than convenience. The roguish viscount is beginning to think he may have met his match in Kate’s keen wit and sharp tongue. Until, that is, he makes the mistake of kissing her …