What do you do when you must wed, but have never been in love?
Lady Jessamine, daughter of the Marquess of Hartfield, finds herself asking herself that question. Wishing she could be content, like her sister Emily, Jessamine is nonetheless different. Bold, wild and quick-witted, Jessamine longs for romance and intrigue. It seems her time for it is running out, when Emily, her younger sister, becomes engaged . . . before her. Worrying their stormy eldest daughter will be left without a husband, her mother and father quickly set down a list of suitors for Jessamine to meet and enchant. But Jessamine does not like any of them. Miserable, she goes riding. Caught in the rain, she thinks matters cannot be worse. That is, until her horse collides with a stranger, throwing her. The dark, shadowy stranger helps her – somewhat offhandedly. Soon, she cannot get him out of her mind. Who is he? Should she trust her heart? Or should she turn her back on him and follow the conventional path her parents have laid out for her? A tale of love, mystery and wonder, set in the lyrical backdrop of the Regency countryside in England.