Rogue's Conquest

Eleanor Townsend has no interest in marriage, the ton, or fashion. Her heart lies with science, and when the chance to present a paper arises she takes it, even though it means dressing as a man. Her disguise does not quite work: someone notices, and the brute intends to blackmail her.

Former prizefighter James MacGregor wants to become a gentleman like the men he trains in his boxing saloon, and his first step is a beautiful, wealthy wife. Eleanor is not that woman, but a chance encounter gives him the leverage he needs. She will gain him entry to high society and mend his atrocious manners, and in return he will keep her secret.

It is a perfect arrangement, at least until the sparks between them become more than clashing personalities. Lily Maxton's second Townsends novel is a Regency-era romance set partly in Edinburgh, built on a cross-class bargain neither party can keep to.