What if the person you fall for fits the exact mold of whom you’ve vowed never to marry?

Robert “West” Beaumont has just become the Marquess of Hampton and is embracing freedom from his father’s iron grip on the family. Seeking to restore the family finances while simultaneously divesting from businesses that leave a moral stain on the Beaumont family, the last thing he wants to deal with is looking for a wife.

Lady Priscilla, Dowager Duchess of Stern, is looking to stretch her wings and explore the new mobility in society now available to her as a widow. While her mother wishes to re-match her right away while still young enough to provide children, Priscilla is reluctant to tie herself down again so quickly.

Both are determined not to make matches based on the expectations of their family, but when West assists Priscilla in avoiding fortune seeking men, the ton mistakes them for a couple. Though neither wants to consider the other as a possible partner (they are exactly whom would please their families), the misconception continuing allows them to satisfy everyone and provides the space needed to meet their goals. But what happens when a fake relationship begins to feel all too real, and they may be the answer to what each was searching for all along?

Content warning: discussion of past parental neglect