A Dance with the Devil

As the Earl of Blackmore, Lucas Devalle is no stranger to the scandals propagated by Society's elite, particularly since more than a few of those scandals have come about due to the Devalle family's affairs. As such, it comes as no surprise when a young lady in search of a scandal attempts to entrap him at the ball he's giving to honor his brother's betrothal. He is surprised when second young lady intervenes in the name of freeing him from an undesirable fate. Why would anyone feel the need to safeguard his name when he is one of the devilish Devalles?
When she escaped into the gardens at Lord Blackmore's ball, Miss Julianna Selwyn's intentions had merely been to escape from an elderly, marriage-minded marquess's unwanted advances. She never planned to eavesdrop on her host. But no matter how wicked Lord Blackmore is purported to be, he doesn't deserve to be forced into the parson's mousetrap when he's done nothing wrong. Had Julianna not overheard every sordid detail of a young lady's plan to ensnare the earl, however, she might have avoided initiating her own scandalous to-do.
With his curiosity piqued, Luke does what any reasonable man, rogue or not, would do—he seeks out an introduction to his charming liberator. Upon uncovering Julianna's dilemma, he's determined to return the favor as only he can: he makes certain his rescuer gets more than just A Dance with the Devil.
**This is a novella of approximately 19,000 words.**