Commodore Gabriel Montford, veteran of the British Royal Navy, is forced to resign his commission, thanks to his idiot brothers' early deaths, now making him the tenth Viscount Montford, a title he does not want and an inheritance he cannot afford. To save his ancestral estate and his sisters' future he must find a wife with a healthy dowry and the ability to give him heirs.

Abigail Prescott, an improverished spinster from Boston, has just landed in England to live with her last relation on earth. All she has is her pride, her lace-making talents and the knowledge that she'll remain a spinster all her life. But at least one adventure might not be amiss, would it? When a wind-blown bonnet brings Montford and Abigail together, well-laid plans begin to unravel. And if Lady Caro Ashford has anything to do with turning the unassuming American into a sophisticated beauty . . . well then, the viscount had better re-think his plans.

This is the first novel in a new series, The School for Sophistication, featuring the intrepid Lady Caro as the teacher of sophisticated ways and manners (and perhaps how to enjoy an adventure or two!).