Lady Heather Drake is turning 18 and her long-awaited season is finally upon her. For as long as she can remember she has looked forward to her coming out where she can dance and flirt and smile her nights away. But a chance encounter with a handsome stranger on the streets of London scatters her thoughts to the wind along with her sheets of music and her life is turned upside-down when she realizes he may be no stranger to her after all. Philip Montcrieff, the new Earl of Theocsbury, spent the last nine years on a British frigate protecting his country while serving in His Majesty's Navy. After a freak accident took the life of his brother and heir to the earldom, Philip had no choice but to sell his commission and return to England to assume a roll he neither wanted nor had any knowledge of. When Philip arrives at Theocsbury Hall he finds that nothing is as it seems due to years of mismanagement and embezzlement on the part of his brother and steward and he must quickly learn the duties of an Earl in order to rescue his failing estate and all those dependent on him. Struggling to distance himself from memories of his father's drunken cruelty and striving to prove that he is nothing like his late father, Philip turns to his neighbor the Earl of Chedworth for advice and is thrilled to discover the Earl's daughter is the stunning beauty he encountered in London. When Philip rescues Lady Heather from danger once again he knows only he can ensure her safety and to do this they must wed. But how can she ever forgive him for depriving her of her season, much less learn to love him as well....unless of course he pays the ultimate price of his life, for hers.