The Academy of Love

Finding out that her husband was a bigamist didn't devastate Portia Stefani; she held her head high when she forced him out of her life. But losing her beloved music school as a result of the traitorous bastard's gambling debts almost destroyed her. The only way she'll be able to make ends meet is to accept a lucrative tutoring position in remote Cornwall. What Portia hasn't anticipated is the life-altering impact that her mesmerizing new employer has on her.

Gareth Lockheart is one of the richest men in England, but it will also take a proper country estate and an aristocratic wife with impeccable connections to gain entrée into the corridors of power. Gareth is determined to find the right woman the same way he does everything: using logic and mathematics. Serena Lombard might be the widow of a duke's son, but she's always existed on the ton's fringes. The unconventional French emigre has worked hard to create a secure home for her son and has struggled to establish herself as a sculptor and landscape gardener.

Honoria Keyes isn't the gawky, impressionable fifteen year old girl she was when she first met Simon Fairchild. Twelve years have passed, and she's a successful artist, enjoying her independence to the fullest. Simon has changed, too. Gone is the beautiful, gentle boy of Honoria's dreams. In his place is a dangerous, damaged man intent on avoiding human contact—and emotions. It would be unthinkable to fall for this difficult, wounded recluse. But then again, Honoria has never been one to do things the easy way . . .

Annis Bowman lost everything when she trusted the wrong man. Now, she needs money, and she needs it fast. Finding a wealthy husband is her only viable option. It's just her wretched misfortune that the only man who truly interests her is poor as a church mouse. Henry Singleton, the new Earl of Rotherhithe, is ready for desperate measures. He's tired of not knowing if women are interested in him—or his wealth. Switching identities with one of his employees is the perfect solution.

Mary Barnett has never dreamed of marriage and family. Scarred and wary, she's done everything she can to avoid men. Operating her family's vast business is the only future she has ever wanted. Mary had no way of knowing that her father would place conditions on her inheritance. Namely, she will only retain control of her father's empire if she marries. And not just to any man, but a peer of the realm . . .