Phoebe Lowell adored Lieutenant Bennett Holden and would have consented to be his wife - had not her uncle warned her about Holden's rakish reputation. When Bennett didn't deny the accusation, Phoebe rejected his proposal. And after her uncle died and left her penniless, she departed from the high society circles of London to support herself as a porcelain artist in shropshire. Never did she expect to see her former love again... Inheriting a baron's title and estate, retired artillery officer Bennett Holden takes up residence in Shropshire, where he becomes reacquainted with teh woman who broke his heart. Because Phoebe believes a falsehood about him, Bennett decides to revenge himself by pretending to love her - and then rejecting her. But he runs the risk of playing his ruse too close to his own heart...