George Howell, a viscount and the most eligible bachelor in Munro, has almost given up on finding a bride. The ladies of the ton only want him for his title, mocking him behind his back for his tongue-tied ways. So when he hears of Ellena Trenton—beautiful, unjaded, and raised to know her duty—he seizes the chance to claim a wife who might accept him as he is.

Ellena believes herself fated to repeat her parents’ joyless marriage. When her ambitious father negotiates her betrothal to Lord Howell, without her even having met him, it seems her worst fears are about to come true. But fate has other plans. As she reluctantly journeys to the city of Munro, a carriage accident leaves her stranded overnight in a woodland cabin with a handsome stranger.

Torn between duty and the stirrings of real feeling, Ellena faces a new challenge when her unscrupulous cousin, driven by greed, stirs up trouble with the viscount. With both her engagement and any hope of a happy marriage at risk, a desperate Ellena decides to take matters into her own hands, with disastrous results.

Lord Howell finds his betrothed a lot more trouble than he expected. What is worse, he suspects her heart lies elsewhere. If only they had had a chance to make a proper first impression… But maybe, just maybe, they can start again.