Miss Gabriel's Gambit
Boucher, Rita
A DANGEROUS GAME

Suddenly eligible after inheriting a barony and a vast fortune, dashing David Rutherford devises a clever scheme to defeat the army of marriage-minded maids who now flock to his door. He will wed only the miss who can best him at a game of chess.

Pretty but penniless Sylvia Gabriel is scandalized along with the rest of the ton, by the new Lord Donhill's proposition. However, her beloved brother's gambling debts are considerable -- and an unscrupulous earl has offered a sizable reward to any woman who can beat Rutherford at his own game...and then eschew the lord's hand. But by accepting the challenge, resourceful Sylvia is leaving her heart more vulnerable than her king. And when knight takes queen, mate can be the only possible outcome.