Charlotte Cecil was always a beauty, elegant and refined in disposition. However, the moment she opens her mouth, all propriety of a lady is thrown out the window. With a rotten mouth and quite the head strong temper, it's no surprise that she's remained unmarried. However ever since her father passed away along with her freedom, Charlotte finds herself with no choice to marry on her brothers demands - or else be stripped of the life she's known. Handsome and devilishly charming, Jonathan Lennox fell in love with an angel. Well, a cruel one at that. But ever since he saw her, he was smitten by her looks and her personality. He was a man of challenge and he'd stop at nothing to get what he wanted. Since returning to London, Jonathan has one thing set on his mind. And that's taking a wife.

As Lord Adam Beresford left Ashwood, Hertfordshire for the training and education of a gentleman, he promised to return and marry his childhood best friend, and the only girl he could see himself marrying, Grace Denham. Neither of them foresaw that it would be twelve years until they would meet again. A lot has changed in that time, and their lives are vastly different. Adam became a gentleman, and everything that the heir to a Dukedom ought to be. Grace remained in Ashwood and became a housemaid to support her family. But as their lives intertwine once more, their childhood promise bubbles to the surface, throwing their lives, the lives of their families, and the village of Ashwood into chaos.