Ambrose Notley couldn't imagine a better future than that of a rich bachelor. In fact, Loftus Notley, Ambrose's uncle and owner of the charming Ashbrook Abbey, leads the exact kind of life Ambrose longs for—freedom from worry, responsibility, and...any and all entanglements with the female gender. Ambrose has spent the majority of his adolescence rallying for a spot in his uncles affection—or rather, his uncle's will. To Ambrose's surprise, his uncle offers him an ultimatum: marry the young ward Kate or lose all prospect of Ashbrook Abbey. Kate wants nothing more than to return to the cottage on the sea after the death of her parents. However, her guardian makes it clear she cannot assume her inheritance until she is rightfully married. But will marrying a stranger—her only option to escape the confines of Ashbrook Abbey—be too high of a price to pay for the respite of her childhood home? Can a marriage of convenience remain strictly business, or will the overgrown bachelor find a way to sneak into her already broken heart?