After Lady Emma Avery "accidentally" sends The London Weekly the notice of her betrothal to Blake Lovelace, Duke of Ashbrook–a man to whom she is not acquainted, let alone engaged–they embark on a sham engagement. As one does with so much at stake...

The Duke has just created a scandal so great that he may never be received again (Two words: twin sisters), let alone inherit a desperately needed fortune from his Oh–So–Proper Aunt Agnes. Reform–or the appearance of it–is the answer. What better way than to partake in a betrothal with one of London's Least Likely To Misbehave?

Ashbrook persuades Emma to embark on a sham engagement in spite of her protestations that he's beyond insufferable...and then he begins to seduce the one woman impervious to his charms, only to discover this wallflower may not be such a shy, retiring miss after all.