The Price of Perfection

Book excerpt: Charlotte Henwood has always had a little trouble maintaining a perfect reputation. After a lucky happenstance leads her to London, she finds that the city still contains the same inveterate gossips as her small home-town. Under the guidance of a family friend she finds a way to gain her independence, but a nasty rumor threatens to completely ruin her, and Charlotte knows she cannot repair the damage on her own. Michael Skidmore, the newly titled Viscount Averly, knows all about Miss Henwood's first brush with near ruin - in fact, he may have been a touch responsible for it. But now the girl is essentially blackmailing him into helping her fix this latest disaster. Having vowed to himself to always protect the Averly title, Michael is more than a little displeased to pretend to woo this troublemaker - even when he forgets that it's only a pretense. It doesn't take long for the pair to realize that the person behind the gossip dogging Charlotte's every step may have a more sinister motive than just cold-blooded social entertainment. But with such an unwilling accomplice, how will Charlotte ever uncover the real motive? Will they be able to repair Charlotte's reputation before it is too late, or will she and Michael give in to the tension building between them?