Wicked stranger

HEART'S GAMBLEElizabeth Babcock had always been "just plain Bessie," overshadowed by her socialite sisters. Few suitors looked beyond her razor-sharp repartee --- and temper to match --- before leaving for less challenging opportunities. Until, that is, that night in Paris when she crossed rapier wits with Noel Bouchard ...A gambler, a soldier, a man of the world, Noel Bouchard prayed never to be saddled with a dull domestic life. Marriage, if entered into at all, should be an adventure --- tempestuous and lusty. He needed a woman with verve and spirit. With passion and wit. A woman like Elizabeth Babcock ...