Miss Phoebe Westbrook wishes she was anywhere other than at Lord Livesey’s house party. Family loyalty and duty forced her to accept the invitation. When she overhears Lord Livesey’s opinion of her, she knows he feels the same. Determined to make the most of his library whilst visiting, she soon finds herself being drawn into the lives of Lord Livesey and his children, whether she likes it or not. Meanwhile, Lord Livesey has lived a lie. His marriage was not the love match everyone presumed. His children are strangers to him. 

Oliver Bailey - a mill owner who is looking for investment from the ton but certainly isn't looking for a wife. Baron Johnson - used appallingly by the young woman he's deeply in love with. Captain Peterson - a successful ship's captain who has at least one girl in every port. Mr. Lucas - a business rival to Oliver Bailey who has an ulterior motive no one else is aware of. Four stories intertwined in a way none could foresee. Their lives will never be the same. 

Colonel Fitzwilliam is a second son, often overshadowed by his titled, older brother and his cousin, Mr. Darcy. Returning from Waterloo, he knows it is time to find a wife with a healthy dowry, but he longs for a love match. Unfortunately for Fitzwilliam, love doesn’t put food on the table. Miss Prudence Bamber has never known her mother’s family. A woman with her own mind and full life, she indulges her father’s wish to visit her long-lost relations. Mr Bamber hopes his daughter will find a husband; she wishes nothing more than to find out more about her mother’s history.

Miss Emma Wynn has spent the last year at Ashwick Hall under the protection of Lady Westcliffe. Her uncle and brother think her dead and must continue to do so until she attains her majority. She must prove she is a fit guardian to re-establish herself and protect her brother. When permitted to visit her friend, Lady Eagleton, she is drawn to the reclusive Mr Carne. She suspects, however, that some scandal is attached to him, and she cannot afford to be tainted by association.

Miss Amelia Fleming has a very good reason to hate the Earl of Langley. A year ago, her father drowned in the Thames after losing a fortune to Langley at cards. Now her family is broke, her fiance has broken their engagement, and the debt still hasn't been paid. Someone has to deal with the earl, but Amelia's brother doesn't have the nerve and her mother has fled to France. It's no business for a gently bred young lady, but the Earl of Langley is about to learn that Amelia Fleming is not your typical young lady . . .