Francesca Winthrop had every intention of marrying for love... ...but her nouveau riche mother, to advance her own social standing, has arranged a betrothal for her reclusive daughter with an English duke. William Chambers ascended to the title upon his father's death, but he also inherited his father's gambling debts. Desperate to avoid scandal and ruin, he is willing go to any lengths—including marrying, sight unseen, an American heiress. A chance encounter and intrigue at a costume ball throw the matrimonially mismatched couple together. Though sparks fly, friction abounds. If Fran is to secure the future of her dreams, she must find a way to reach past the duke's mysterious aloofness. Fortunately, a courtesan's journal suggests there is more than one way to seduce a duke.