Lady Marina Lockhart's dreams of her upcoming Season debut are squashed by her father's news of an arranged marriage. An unexpected invitation to attend a country Christmas house party with her cousin carries the improbable hope of meeting a gentleman who will save her.A

fter a disastrous engagement, Phineas Carrollton, the Marquis of Huntington, buries himself in the affairs of running his country estate but begrudgingly agrees to host his sister's Christmas festivities. When he meets the lovely Lady Marina, his dismal mood is swept away by a passion he believed was dead inside him.

A sudden snowstorm strands Phineas and Marina at a hidden cottage but her hopes of marriage vanish when he weaves a story concealing their time together, shattering her heart and dreams to save her from a loveless match, for she has fallen for the dashing Marquis. She obeys her father's summons to return to London for the wedding, holding in her heart the cherished memory of Phineas, a flame for the bleak years of marriage she faces. Unable to deny that Marina has ignited his heart, Phineas refuses to believe that she loves anyone but him. His headlong rush to London to stop the wedding will be only the beginning of his challenge.