Melissa Wade faced a choice. Marry the odious Dan Thorpe or be whipped until she did by her crude and cruel stepmother. Desperate to escape this unthinkable future, she pretends to be a lady's maid to her best friend, Cheryl. Together they travel to meet Cheryl's uncle, the Duke of Aldwick, whose reputation as a pompous, commanding cynic and hater of women proceeds him. Had Melissa escaped one situation, only to enter a more dangerous one? As her deception is unmasked, Melissa must challenge the Duke to help her best friend. But no sooner has she started to break down the barriers of the elusive Duke, does she realise his life is mortal danger. Worse still the threat of marriage to loathsome Dan Thorpe has not evaded her. How Melissa uncovers the secrets of the castle to save the Duke and how at last she finds everlasting happiness, are all told in this exciting story of friendship, understanding and love.