Alexander Lambeth, 5th Earl of Grenville, only had eyes for the fair Lady Elizabeth during his first London Season. Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s father brokered her marriage to another. Fancying himself broken-hearted, Alex consented to a loveless union with Lady Felicity, daughter of wealthy Lord Morecombe. Five years into his marriage, his first love is widowed, and Alex’s wife seems to believe he will waste no time making Lady Elizabeth his mistress. As Felicity chooses to live apart from him, a surprisingly difficult choice is thrust upon Alex. Whom does he truly desire—the ethereal Elizabeth or the maddening Felicity?

When Lord John returns from the Battle of Waterloo nursing a serious wound and a case of melancholia, he is hopeful of beginning a happier phase in his life. His sights are set on the lovely Miss Lindsay, his country neighbor’s daughter. But to his mystification, he keeps getting distracted by her family’s governess—a little dab of a thing who is not at all what she seems. His determination to solve the mystery of Miss Haverley begins to seriously undermine his interest in Miss Lindsay, who is confident he is about to offer for her. In the face of this, how can he pursue his interest in the family governess? Not only must he solve this dilemma, but he must discover what the petite woman is hiding. When Miss Haverley begs him to resist satisfying his curiosity because such a course could bring her harm, his dilemma doubles. He is more determined than ever to rescue her from whatever demons she is trying to escape, for Miss Haverley alone seems to have the power to stir him to passion and hope for a new life.

When Lord Basingstoke reluctantly attends the engagement ball of his former commanding officer, he is definitely not looking for romance. His childhood sweetheart broke his heart for good when she married another while he was serving on the Peninsula, and now that he is home he must see to putting a dilapidated estate in order. The animated Lady Leticia Lindsay has just had her heart bruised by a careless suitor and is looking forward to leaving London for her idyllic home in Lincolnshire. When Basingstoke and Lady Leticia meet, they have an odd conversation that leads to a surprising correspondence. Is it possible for two jaded people to fall in love through letters? And will such a tenuous relationship prevail when their previous loves reenter their lives?