Clara was not Lady Cocwood, but a mere week before she found herself widowed. Her foolish husband died in a horse-riding accident—one that could have been prevented had he refused to jump a fence far too high. With his death, Clara finds herself thrown out of her new home and left without funds. In that moment, she understands what her older sister had gone through years earlier and prays Juliet will forgive her, for now, she desperately needs help.

Grant Oliver, the Viscount of Oakwood, has returned to England after a long sojourn. His first stop is to visit his cousin, the Duke of Sinbrough. What he does not expect to find is that the former Duke of Sin is now happily married and has given up his notorious parties. The other surprise? A young widow who is as delectable as she is intriguing—and whom he fully intends to seduce.

Clara never expected to find passion again, let alone love. Grant wants nothing to do with any such elusive emotion as love or anything resembling it. Neither one of them anticipated finding something lasting with each other. Yet, no one ever plans on falling in love, and accepting it is the most difficult decision of all.