It is 1837 and the Celebration Ball at Miss Debenham's Finishing School is underway. Miss Lucille (Lucy) Monteith is about to escape to meet with her friends. Beautiful, blonde, with the calm frostiness so celebrated in the typical English beauty, Lucy is very different beneath her cool exterior. Passionate, desperate to live her life, she has no intention of marrying the man her parents have picked out for her. Instead she is determined to marry Lord Dominic Lacey, famously called Wicked Nic.

Though Nic has always liked Lucy and now finds himself very tempted by her, he has no desire to be attached to such a seemingly proper and respectable young lady. He is convinced he can frighten Lucy away with some scandalously improper behaviour. Alas, a scandal erupts and it seems as if she will get to marry him after all, but this wasn't the way she wanted it to happen. And can they be happy if Nic feels forced into marriage?