Lavinia, younger sister to the Earl of Stanton, still blames herself for the tragic death of her betrothed several years ago. Widely known as a bluestocking, she habitually wears mourning dress, prefers reading to dancing, and rarely ventures to town. This season, however, she meets Lord Heyward at the lending library in London, and is instantly smitten.
Her brother Alistair, however, will not hear of such a liaison. Heyward is too old for her, he claims. It is soon clear to Lavinia that if she wants her own way, she is going to have to resort to subterfuge. And for a girl whose nose is always in a mystery or a romance, nothing could be simpler!