Rosalind Danvers is young, beautiful and witty. Daughter of Lord and Lady Danvers, minor aristocrats with great pretensions, Rosalind is promised to The Earl of Frinton. The Earl is young and impressively handsome but has the most wandering eye for many counties. Unable to find any attraction for him, Rosalind seeks to appeal to her parents to release her from any obligation, but they remain firm in their determination for elevated status. Heath Rutherford, Duke of Langdale and veteran of the Napoleonic wars is ten years Rosalind’s senior. He is jaded, cynical and determined not to marry. With pressure being brought to bear from his family, demanding that he marry and produce an heir to the Duchy, the Duke finds himself ever more wary of title seeking young ladies and their desperate parents. Finding Heath more and more taciturn and disagreeable in public, his cousin Hector makes it his mission to take away the rough edges of the years of soldiering. When Rosalind and Heath are introduced at the first ball of the London Season, sparks fly, and Duke’s insults look set to make them enemies forever. However, with every meeting, their feelings grow and, try as they might, Rosalind and Heath both struggle to hide their emotions. Can Rosalind finally find the courage to rebel against her parents? And can Heath overcome his cynicism and finally open his heart to true love?