What clever woman would want a man like Lord Harry Desire? Why, he is clearly a lummox—languid, vain, and bland. Not even his beautiful face could redeem him. But he stands to inherit a vast fortune, and that's good enough for Deirdre's father, a spendthrift vicar who arranges the match to rescue himself from imminent financial collapse.

Leave it to Deirdre to contrive an escape, a quick elopement with her one true love, the dashing Guy Wentwater. But Wentwater's love proves none too true, and Deirdre finds herself in a humiliating pickle. Not even Lord Harry will marry her now. But Harry has more tricks up his tailored sleeve than Deirdre ever imagined, and soon she pines only for the marriage thrown away—and for a man whose arms have grown suddenly irresistible.