253.The Irresistible Buck

Handsome, dashing and a friend of the Prince of Wales, Lord 'Buck' Melburne has London's Society ladies swooning at his feet. So when he goes to his country seat at the urgent request of a young lady called Clarinda Vernon and it turns out that she despises him he is shocked. What could he possibly have done to offend her?He is even more shocked at Clarinda's request - that he agrees to marry her, purely to indulge the last wish of her dying father. Once Sir Roderick Vernon has passed away Clarinda will, she assures him, release him from his promise. Despite himself, Buck is fascinated by this innocent yet feisty red-headed beauty - and is deeply concerned for her safety when he hears of sinister satanic goings-on in the nearby caves orchestrated by someone who means Clarinda harm.When she finds herself prone on the sacrificial altar amid a terrifyingly depraved Black Mass, it is for his Lordship to save her that she prays to God. And when at last her prayers are answered, she realises that her hatred has turned to love and that for her too, Buck Melburne really is irresistible