The Duke Who Loved Me by Patricia Barletta

Lady Jessica Carlton can’t afford to lose. Known as the Lady Fortuna, she wagers it all each night at the most notorious gaming hell in London, run by the French émigré, Madame du Barré. Jessica has built a reputation as one of the best gamblers in the ton. But she derives no joy in winning and must hand over everything she makes to her stepmother, Margaret. If Jessica loses, Margaret will force her into a loveless marriage and keep her from seeing her younger brother. Since the death of her father, the Earl of Braeleigh, Jessica is the only person who can protect twelve-year-old Jason, from Margaret’s machinations. She must win at any cost.
But Jessica never expected to lose to the handsome Damien Trevor, Duke of Wyndham. In a rash attempt to keep her winnings, she deals from the bottom of the deck. The Duke catches her sleight of hand and demands satisfaction—or he will have her evicted from the gaming hell. Desperate, Jessica agrees to pay Wyndham back—by spending a night in his bed.
Damien is captivated by the blue-eyed, raven-haired beauty who cheated so smoothly. Her mysterious identity intrigues him, but her furtive trips out of London raise his suspicions. As the English spy, Le Chat, Damien is given the task of uncovering and toppling espionage networks on behalf of His Majesty, King George. Could the lovely Jessica be smuggling English secrets to the French?
Passion brings Damien and Jessica together. Secrets and lies threaten to tear them apart. As fate deals them a deadly hand, can they trust in each other and believe the truth in their hearts?
The Duke Who Loved Me is a substantially revised and re-edited re-release of Ecstasy’s Gamble, originally published in 1990, under Patricia Barletta’s pen-name, Amy Christopher.