Gillie Trewlove knows what a strangers kindness can mean, having been abandoned on a doorstep as a baby and raised by the woman who found her there. So, when suddenly faced with a soul in need at her door--or the alleyway by her tavern--Gillie doesnt hesitate. But hes no infant. Hes a grievously injured, distractingly handsome gentleman who doesnt belong in Whitechapel, much less recuperating in Gillies bed... Being left at the altar is humiliating; being rescued from thugs by a woman--albeit a brave and beautiful one--is the pièce de résistance to the Duke of Thornleys extraordinarily bad day. After nursing him back from the brink, Gillie agrees to help him comb Londons darker corners for his wayward bride. But every moment together is edged with desire and has Thorne rethinking his choice of wife. Yet Gillie knows the aristocracy would never accept a duchess born in sin. Thorne, however, is determined to prove to her that no obstacle is insurmountable when a duke loves a woman.