A spy on a mission. A governess with a secret. And a slipper lost at a ball. Miss Emma Glass wants nothing to do with noblemen. From experience, she knows that deceitful minds hide behind their most charming smiles, and thus, she keeps to herself, her sole focus her precious little girl as well as the means necessary to ensure her future. Dedicated to fulfilling her role as governess to Lord Markham’s young daughter, Emma finds relief in seeing her own child grow up in safety, far away from the threats of a society she herself barely escaped...if not unscathed. Nightmares still haunt her, and yet, Emma is willing to endure anything she must to ensure her daughter’s well-being. Until she finds her heart reawakened by a most inconvenient and utterly unsuitable man, a nobleman. After long years in service to the Crown, Hugh Lawrence, Duke of Ashhaven, returns from the Continent upon a friend’s request. A most gruesome murder has occurred, one which his friend trusts no one else to solve but him. Dedicated to serve justice above all else, Ash begins his investigation...only to find himself distracted by thoughts of a most inconvenient nature. Tender emotions spark in his heart whenever he glimpses Miss Emma Glass, governess in his friend’s household, for she reawakens hopes he had never dared admit even to himself. Something about her draws him near, upending his world as he finds himself incapable of being rational of thinking clearly wherever Emma is concerned. What makes matters worse is that she appears to be connected to the very culprit he is investigating for murder. Before long, Ash no longer knows which to trust: his mind or his heart?