Defying Society’s strictures, Lady Olivia is fascinated by fencing and determined to share the thrill of facing an opponent with a foil in her hand. Defiancé comes at a cost, however. While her family agrees to allow her to found the Fencing Academy for Ladies, she must agree to a betrothal to the extremely eligible, but insipid, Lord Saunders. It seems like a fair compromise, so she agrees, even though Lord Saunders makes no secret of the fact that he disapproves of her academy. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes the day before her school opens. Lady Olivia discovers a dead body in her office with a marble cherub in place of his head. And she unwittingly leaves a trail of footprints through his blood, blood so fresh that it is still sticky. There is no sign of anyone else in the building—just Lady Olivia and the still-warm corpse. Scandal erupts, and Lord Saunders demands that she close the academy and conform to Society’s dictates. She stubbornly refuses until a second body is discovered. Desperate, Lady Olivia turns to dashing fencing master, Lord Milbourn, for help. While the handsome master fencer is clearly hiding his own dark secrets, her heart tells her to trust him. Torn between her growing love for the attractive and enigmatic Lord Milbourn and her promise to Lord Saunders, Lady Olivia is determined to fight for her heart’s desire, whatever the cost.