She has the data to ruin him. He has the power to save her. But in the high-stakes game of Regency society, the most dangerous element is the heart. Benedict Thorne, the Duke of Rothbury, is a man of cold logic, rigid standards, and a reputation as unyielding as iron. Known to the ton as the "Ice Duke," he has spent a decade perfecting a life of sterile perfection—until Honoria Westover crashes into his library with a mud-stained apron and a blackmail letter that could shatter his world. Nora Westover is not your typical wallflower. A brilliant botanist with a sharp wit and a desperate need for funding, she's willing to do the unthinkable to protect her research and her family: marry the most formidable man in England. She doesn't want his love; she wants his signature on a laboratory grant.