They want nothing to do with each other, but their secrets will bring them together... James Barrington, Duke of Norland, has his reasons for avoiding Parliament and despising his mother. When she brings a house party to his estate, he knows to avoid her at all costs. Her only goal is to marry him off to one of her attendees, and James will have none of it. Especially the young miss who is as pretty as she is stubborn. Isabel Hastings has been trained for this moment her whole life—entrap a duke into marriage. But she has reasons of her own to avoid him, like being secretly engaged to another man. After confiding in the duke, she thinks she's safe from the handsome, broody man, but the longer she stays, the more she begins to worry for her heart. As secrets begin to unravel the house party, both James and Isabel are forced to face the truth, and see if they're willing to admit what they want most.