Cecily has no desire for a husband. Instead, she plans to follow the example of her spinster aunt—refusing to marry, supporting herself with a modest inheritance and entertaining herself with a stream of lovers and a collection of naughty books. She's already acquired a taste for sex through her secret stock of books, and she can't wait to make her vivid fantasies come true.

Forced into attending a house party, Cecily decides to make the best of it—which means taking up with a fop her parents are certain to disapprove of. Perry is no mere fop, though. He's attending the house party to investigate rumors of espionage...and is definitely not there to find himself a wife.

Cecily and Perry seem like an unlikely pair, but together they'll learn much about spying, exhilarating passion and true love.