Following her parents' tragic death, Catrina Wilcox becomes the ward of her overbearing, uncaring older brother. After years of being shipped off to finishing schools, Catrina is ready for one final summer of merriment before she will be forced to marry a man of her brother's choosing. After an accidental encounter with the notorious rake Thomas Summers, the Viscount of Huntsley, Catrina travels with friends to the seaside resort of Eden, where she reencounters the Viscount and leaves a lasting impression that he will never forget.Thomas has just learned he must marry by his twenty-fifth birthday or his father's vast fortune will go to his widowed mother, a scheming woman filled with hatred for her dead husband and her son. With no suitable prospects in mind, he decides he needs a reprieve from the situation and ventures to Eden, where he again crosses paths with Catrina.After several disastrous encounters with Catrina-and one morning the pair will never forget-Thomas returns to London to begin his search for a bride. As his path continues to cross with Catrina's, the attraction between them grows. However, they must be wary, for others around them are plotting to control not only just their fortunes but their very lives.