Lady Isabella Winton waited four years to marry her fiancé, but each year Lord Alexander Fitzroy, Earl of Standford, a serving officer and reformed rake, finds an excuse to delay the nuptials. This time, with the marriage set for the next month, he tells her he received an urgent message from his Colonel. He is needed in Belgium almost immediately. He warns her it may be dangerous for her to accompany him. Isabella realizes he is bluffing, things would not change so suddenly. Brussels is the centre of a social whirl with riding, the theatre, and lavish balls. Fearing Alex may have returned to his rakish ways and already installed a mistress, she insists on travelling with him. Will he agree? Isabella is unaware Lord Everard Ladness, heir to a dukedom, is obsessed with her and will go to any lengths to possess her.

Travelling to her fiancés estate for her forthcoming marriage, Lady Phillipa Frencham counts herself as the happiest of young women. She is to wed Lord Hector Thurston, Baron of West Mead. The only bane in her life is her treacherous brother-in-law to be, Lord Demetrius who takes every opportunity to seduce her. How can she tell Hector of his brother’s ardour for her? To do so could result in a duel and ruin the wedding, even tear the family apart. However, she is unaware that Hector too may not be all he seems; and who is the new comer, the charming Lady Amaryllis Wilbraham? On her arrival at the Manor, Phillipa receives a threatening note, ‘Marry at Your Peril’ which Hector casually dismisses as a poor joke. Enter the Duke of Denfordshire, who immediately enchanted with Phillipa, is determined to make her his own. Phillipa in turn fights with her heart, and her conscience, as danger besets her from all sides.

The untimely demise of her parents, leaves Miss Cassandra Whitney devastated and penniless to bring up her younger siblings. To her relief and astonishment delight, she inherits a titled estate and a ruin of a castle. News of Casandra's inheritance travels fast, reaching the highest circles in the ton. The Dowager Duchess of Taunton sees her as a worthy match for her son Maximillian the 6th Duke of Taunton. The dowager plans to take control over the castle which would be a prestigious venue for her many social events. balls. But to her dismay, neither Cassandra nor Maximillian have any desire or plans to wed.