Nicholas Cranleigh suspects his meddlesome sister is up to something when she invites him to stay at Cothill Manor at the same time as Miss Dresden. He's on his guard, but it's hard to resist a woman with luminous eyes who's in need of a savior.Lavinia Dresden is ready to sacrifice herself to save her family from financial ruin in the only path open to a woman of gentle breeding. But she hadn't counted the cost of her sacrifice until Lord Cranleigh came into her life—a man she knew to be her ideal.There remain only five days until the Christmas ball when Miss Dresden's fate will be decided, and it soon becomes apparent to Nicholas that the question is not whether he wants to save Lavinia, but whether he is able.