“You realize this performance has cost me my freedom,” Jasper says, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. She doesn’t flinch. “Freedom is a luxury, Mr. Rathbone. For a woman in my position, survival is the only prize worth winning.”

When Phoebe Langdon, the ton’s most invisible wallflower, is discovered in a compromising embrace with the infamous Jasper Rathbone, the scandal is the talk of London. To the gossips, it is a tragedy. To Phoebe, it is a masterstroke.

Desperate to escape her cruel stepmother, Phoebe has gambled everything on a single, orchestrated moment of disgrace. She expected a cold marriage of convenience; she didn’t expect Jasper to be so... observant.

Jasper recognizes a trap when he’s stepped in one, yet he is inexplicably drawn to the quiet fire behind Phoebe’s facade. Their engagement is a tactical alliance—a contract signed in shadow to secure her independence and protect his family’s legacy.

But as their battle of wits moves from Mayfair ballrooms to a crumbling estate, the lines of their agreement blur. Behind Jasper’s cynical charm lies a haunted man, and within Phoebe dwells a passion that threatens to burn through her carefully constructed lies.

“You are a most inconvenient wallflower, Phoebe,” he murmurs. “And you,” she meets his gaze, “have finally met a game you cannot charm your way out of.”

In a world where every smile is a mask, they must decide if their accidental scandal was a ruinous mistake—or the only real thing they’ve ever known.

Perfect for fans of sharp-witted wallflowers and charming rogues, Margot St. James’s novel is a journey of simmering chemistry and high-stakes longing.

Uncover Phoebe’s daring story — buy your copy now!