Lady Helena Rowley's fate was sealed before she was born. As the only child of the powerful Earl of Alverton, it is her duty to marry well - a duty she intends to fulfil, even if that means leaving the man she truly loves behind. But then recently-orphaned Mary Thorpe arrives at Alverton Hall, throwing Helena's plans into total disarray. Loud, blunt and clumsy, Mary is everything a lady shouldn't be, despite Helena's desperate attempts to conceal Mary's peculiar behaviour from their esteemed neighbours. As if things couldn't get any worse, Mary has a secret - and when the truth is revealed, Helena's life will be turned completely upside-down. Plunged headfirst into an adventure that will take her a world away from the quiet, orderly life she knows, Helena will have no choice but to place her trust in the wild young girl. Forced to be independent for the first time in her life, Helena might just begin to realise that a lady's fate is her own to decide.