Lady Mariel’s Scandalous Love by Arietta Richmond

Lady Mariel Angleton has a talent for languages, and has always been fascinated by the sensual and sexual side of things, especially since she helped her friend Selina marry the man she loved, through ‘discovering’ Selina in a compromise… But young ladies of the ton are not supposed to know about such things. She goes to visit the now married Selina for a month or so, before the next London Season, and hopes to discover interesting books in Selina and Alex’s library. What she finds is far more than she had ever expected…

Dashiell Hardstone, the Marquess of Longwood, has spent the last eight years overseas, in Italy and beyond. Along the way, he has amassed a large collection of books and objects related to the history of eroticism – a fascinating topic, but not one that the ton approve of, at all. Now, back in England, he must decide what to do with that collection, before his father, the Duke of Cockleigh, finds out about it, or the gossip gets out of control. But he also, desperately, wants one of those books translated, for it is in a language he does not speak.

When Dash visits Alex, his old friend, who has married Selina, and discusses that book, he sets in motion a chain of events with an ending he would never have expected – events which bring him into close contact with Mariel, and expose her to his collection… As they spend more and more time together, the attraction between them is undeniable. Will the knowledge of that collection reach the ears of the ton, before Dash is ready? Will Mariel find herself in the midst of scandal? Will they admit their feelings for each other, or will an unexpected enemy drive them apart?