Updated edition of the beloved classic by the Queen of Regency romance herself, Georgette Heyer, featuring a new Foreword by New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James.

An independent young woman refuses to let others dictate the terms of her life

Miss Venetia Lanyon is comfortable and competent managing her family’s country estate since her father died and her older brother went off to war. She is kept busy with estate matters and fending off suitors who don’t interest her, but from time to time she feels uneasy about her future. What will happen to her when her brother comes back? Her friends urge her to marry her worthy suitor--the only option for a lady of quality. But Venetia wants so much more out of life.

From the moment Venetia meets Lord Damerel, her scandalous neighbor, aka the ＂Wicked Baron＂, she finds herself lit with a flame hitherto unknown to her. Their compatibility in mind and spirit accompanies an undeniable attraction. But Damerel has led a dissolute life, and he withdraws, afraid that his love for Venetia will ruin her socially. It is up to Venetia to muster all her ingenuity and daring to get what she wants--no matter what anyone else may think.

GEORGETTE HEYER has charmed tens of millions of readers with her delightful sense of humor and unique take on Regency romance.

＂Venetia is an amazing woman--even for today.＂ --Library Journal

＂Utterly timeless charm... The dialogue...sparkles with wit...And beneath that period speech, the ring of truth, the human flaws and virtues, speaks just as perfectly to today’s reader.＂ --Nora Roberts, #1 New York Times bestselling author

＂Heyer’s women were spunky, daring and outrageous...her heroes the stuff of dreams.＂ --Diana Palmer, New York Times bestselling author

＂Romance, adventure, side-splitting humor--no one writes like Georgette Heyer!＂ --Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author