Man about town and something of a "ladies' man" the new Earl of Rockbrook has given little thought to a liaison at Windsor Castle in which one of the Queen's Ladies-in-Waiting, Lady Louise appears in his bedroom – so he is appalled when he learns that Louise's mother expects him to marry her. He motivation is clear – although penniless at the time, he has since suddenly inherited the title and estates after his uncle's death in a train crash.
Fleeing Louise and London for the safety of the countryside he breaks his collarbone in a carriage accident and is knocked unconscious.
When he awakens he finds he is being nursed by a lovely country girl called Purilla. She is beautiful, demure and intelligent – in fact everything he ever wanted in a wife – so he persuades her to save him from Louise by marrying him. Purilla has already fallen deeply in love with the handsome Earl – but how can she turn a marriage of convenience into one of true love?