Rules of Attraction by Christina Dodd

To the owner of the Distinguished Academy of Governesses
Dear Madame Owner, I am looking for an experienced companion for my sweet, elderly, slightly dotty aunt, and that companion must be:
1. Tall, blonde and twenty-seven years of age.
2. Desirous of living in an ancient castle in an isolated area of Lancashire.
3. Not nervous about any sinister rumors about me.
4. You.
Sincerely, the newly titled Marquess of Raeburn

From the owner of the Distinguished Academy of Governesses
My dear, mysterious Lord Raeburn, Coincidentally, I fulfill all your requisites. However, as condition to accepting this position, I insist on the following:
1. That no interest be shown in my past.
2. That I have the free time to explore Lancashire for reasons that I will not divulge.
3. That you not bother to deny your culpability in the disappearance of your wife.
4. That we will not indulge in familiarity that will surely lead to another disastrous, passionate interlude between us.
Sincerely, Hannah Setterington

Read an Excerpt:
Mrs. Trenchard curtsied and announced, “Miss Hannah Setterington, my lord.”
For one moment he stood stiffly, a lonely figure waiting for … something. Then in a low, deep voice he commanded, “Leave us.”
Hannah’s breath caught.
That voice. That tone.
Her heart gave a thud. Then another. Then another, marking each second, each excitement, each fear.
From the back he looked like … and the reflection in the glass seemed to be familiar.
But she knew how wrong she could be. When he dwelt in her thoughts, all men looked like him.
And yet … and yet …
Vaguely, she heard the door shut. Slowly, he turned to face her.
And the foreboding which had haunted her for nine years became reality.
She had heard rumors this man had killed his wife. She knew he had not. Because she was his wife.