SHE WAS BORN TO SERVE, BUT HE WAS BORN TO RULE HER. Everett Lockwood, the Earl of Glenmire, has returned to his ancestral estate with a reputation for coldness and absolute authority. He is a man who has seen everything and felt nothing. Then he sees Genevieve Knowles. She is a simple housemaid, untouched and pure. She is the one thing his dark soul cannot ignore. He demands she be moved from the kitchens to his private service. The halls of Glenmire are filled with secrets and shadows. Everett isolates Genevieve within the library, forcing her into a world of private duty that blurs the lines of propriety. He views her as his property. He stakes his claim with a primitive hunger that terrifies and excites her. Genevieve is caught between her fear of the Earl's power and the heat of her own awakening desires. The threat of social ruin looms over them. A lecherous rival seeks to steal what Everett has claimed. The London Ton is ready to strike at any sign of weakness. Everett must choose between his ancient bloodline and the woman who has become his total obsession. He will defy the peerage and break every rule of his station to keep her. He will burn his legacy to the ground before he allows another man to touch what belongs to him.