Book excerpt: Lord Whitney is intelligent, rich, and good looking. But he’s also boring. Despite his notable attributes, he has nothing worthwhile to contribute to the gentlemen he would love to establish friendships with. One thing he’s noticed is that all the gentlemen around him are getting married. So in order to have something in common with them, he does something he never thought he’d do: he lies about being betrothed. His ploy works. For the first time in his life, gentlemen are finally paying attention to him. Soon, however, they start asking him questions about the wonderful lady he’s going to marry. It comes to a point where he can no longer keep up the lie. He has to find a lady to present to them. As fate would have it, Lady Stacey happens to be in the right place at the right time, and he manages to convince her to play along with his scheme. In return for playing the part of his betrothed, he will secure safe passage for her and her mother out of London. But as time passes on, he begins to wonder if there’s more to their ruse than meets the eye. Will their deception bloom into a love that is real, or will it be as make believe as it was when they met?