Lord Gideon Birch, wounded former naval Captain and freshly minted Viscount, has a colorful history as a renowned lover of women.  But a decade at war has transformed this sensual rake, and what he wants now is only to live a life on his own terms.  And so he comes to the quietest village in England, searching for serenity, and instead encounters an astonishingly enthralling pair of green eyes that unsettle his carefully constructed world.

Though she would love nothing more than to leave Littleover, Miss Theadosia Ridley is sorely hampered by a lack of funds.  Desperately trying to earn enough to feed herself and her ailing family servant, she must reluctantly accept Lord Birch's opportune offer of employment:  He needs her and her knowledge of Greek to catalog and translate the extensive library he's accumulated over the course of the war.  Dubious of his motives, she vows to keep her distance from the dashing newcomer.  But time in his company unveils a compelling man far more complex than his shallow reputation would lead one to believe.

Can she uphold her vow not to succumb to his charms?