The Wild Child - Mary Jo Putney

Bribed by Kyle, his twin brother, Dominic Renbourne agrees to take his twin's place for a few weeks at Warfield Manor, where he is to pay court to Lady Meriel Grahame, the orphaned heiress Kyle intends to marry. The last thing Dominic expects is to be entranced by a silent sprite whose ethereal beauty is as intoxicating as the flowers and trees that surround her.

For much of her life Meriel has lived outside normal society, finding joy and peace in her garden, safe from the nightmare that nearly destroyed her as a child. She is content with solitude until the handsome intruder begins to inspire dreams of life beyond her sanctuary. Despite his longing, Dominic's sense of duty keeps him away from his brother's future bride, but Meriel's untamed spirit proves more powerful than Dominic can resist . . .

New York Times-, Publisher's Weekly-, and Wall Street Journal- bestselling author Mary Jo Putney is a graduate of Syracuse University with degrees in eighteenth-century literature and industrial design. She has won numerous awards for her writing, including two Romance Writers of America RITA Awards, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Historical Romance, and four consecutive Golden Leaf awards for Best Historical Romance. Her books have also received frequent awards from online reader sites such as, The Romance Reader, All About Romance, Romance Readers Anonymous, and Under the Covers. The author of twenty-two novels, Ms. Putney lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

"MS. PUTNEY JUST GETS BETTER AND BETTER!"
-NORA ROBERTS

"DEEPLY MOVING . . . PUTNEY DELVES FAR INTO THE REACHES OF THE HEART TO THRILL HER FANS."
-Romantic Times