Mr Ashleigh Halloway belongs wholly to London, where he runs a hotel, enjoys the fringes of good society, and indulges in every comfort the city affords.
When he agrees to become steward to the Duke of Brinshire, he does so for reasons of his own, yet the wet, freezing, and thoroughly muddy countryside tests him at once.
Miss Augusta Merrington is still unmarried well past thirty, a fact that scarcely troubles her while the duke's extensive stables allow a hard, fast ride in any weather.
She cannot resist teasing the dandified newcomer, but after she uncovers his romantic secret and tries to help, she meets a far darker secret that puts her in the gravest danger.
Random strangers keep arriving at the duke's door, and it is far from clear who is sending them.
