Lady Eleanor Beaumont's debut season is not a dream, but a waking nightmare. With her parents gone, she is the ward of her cruel cousin, Lord Ashworth, who sees her only as a possession to be married off for his own gain. Her only hope for freedom is to find a husband of her own choosing—a husband who will protect her from a fate she fears more than death.

Desperate, Eleanor sneaks out to a grand ball where she meets Gabriel, the Duke of Northwood. Gabriel, however, has sworn off marriage and is a master at avoiding the relentless matchmaking mamas. But when he witnesses Ashworth's brutal public berating of Eleanor, his resolve shatters. Drawn to her quiet strength and undeniable grace, he offers a scandalous solution: a marriage of convenience.

Now, Eleanor is a duchess and safe from her cousin's grasp, but she's trapped in a new kind of marriage with a man who married her for duty, not for love. As their lives intertwine, a slow-burning passion ignites, challenging everything they thought they knew about love and convenience. Can a vow made for protection become a promise of a lifetime?