With her dying breath, Elinor Milford's mother urges her to escape penury by seeking help from Allingham Hall. But the owner of this vast estate is a rich and powerful duke, far too young to have known her mother. Disguised as a dairymaid, Elinor sets out to unearth the secrets of her birth and unleashes a love affair that is tested to its limits. Gabriel Claremont, Duke of Allingham, tries to forget his painful past in the shallow pleasures of his dissipated peers. Yet the new dairymaid, hiding behind mousy clothes and a modest demeanor, intrigues him. She is unlike any servant he has ever known. Despite his vow to to live without love, he is drawn to her far more than he will admit and soon finds himself fighting a tangle of fierce emotions. How far must Elinor and Gabriel go to unravel the threads of their past—and discover their future?