Diana Merriwell and Giles Sinclair only tolerate one another for the sake of their nearest and dearest. Everyone believes that the two of them are meant to be together, but Diana and Giles know that their constant pithy barbs come from a shared disdain --- not a hidden attraction. But they do have one thing in common --- the secrets they can’t risk escaping. When Giles’ father, the curmudgeonly Duke of Harpenden, unexpectedly turns up his toes, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes crawling out of the woodwork who knows the true circumstances of his only son's birth. As the threat of blackmail becomes real, Giles must uncover the truth of his parentage first, or else he and all those who depend upon him will be ruined.

The last thing Hugh Standish, Earl of Fareham, ever wants is a wife. Unfortunately for him, his mother is determined to find him one. So Hugh invents a fake fiancée to keep her matchmaking ways at bay. But when Hugh learns that she is on a ship bound for England, he realizes his ruse is about to implode. Until he collides with a beautiful woman. Minerva Merriwell has had to struggle to support herself and her two younger sisters ever since their feckless father abandoned them. So when Hugh asks Minerva to pose as his fiancée while his mother is visiting, she knows that the offer is too good to pass up. Once Minerva and her sisters arrive at Hugh's estate, of course nothing goes according to his meticulous plan.