James, Lord Kingsley’s best friend’s dying wish was that he married his spinster sister. Unluckily, James is honor-bound to fulfill another oath and can never marry Miss Poppy Ashford, no matter how delightfully charming and sensual he finds her. Treated horridly by her stepmother and half-sisters, Poppy has little to anticipate for her future. She is stunned when the devilishly handsome and most sought-after Lord Kingsley suggests a scheme that might make her more eligible and appealing to the marriage-minded gentlemen of society. Eager at the chance of a future that is more than her working as a governess, Poppy agrees to his lessons—even the ones in kissing! Poppy knew every laugh, dance, and stolen kisses were just a pretense. So why did James make her heart throb so strongly, and why did her impossible dreams now include an earl she had little hopes of ever marrying?