Although this book is part of a trilogy, each book is a stand-alone story in its own right.

Lord Michael Dunham is bored of society, bored of fickle women, but above all that, he is afraid. His father suffered from madness, and Michael is terrified that he will inherit the same affliction. He scrutinizes his every mood swing, his every expression, to see if he can detect any signs that he is developing the symptoms. It blights his life. He has determined that he will never marry, putting a wife through the same that his mother suffered, and he certainly will never have children. The disease will die with him.

Miss Elizabeth Rufford is a young lady who is more comfortable managing an estate as far away from society as she can possibly be. She would rather be planting crops than dancing a quadrille, rather be building walls than playing cards. She did not seek a London season when she came out of the schoolroom and would be happy never to visit the capital.

A line in a will force the two together. Lord Dunham is Elizabeth's guardian, whether she likes it or not, and she really does not like it! Bounding into his life in the most outrageous way possible, Elizabeth makes an impact she never intended to. Michael is drawn to the feisty woman and suddenly finds that it is hard to fight one's demons when Elizabeth Rufford is a part of your life.