Still bearing the scars of a brutal yet mercifully short marriage, Laura Hedley, left independently wealthy, accepts an invitation from her friend Frankie, the Duchess of Winchester, to stay at Winchester Park while she considers settling in the district. But trouble follows close on her heels in the form of her disgruntled stepson who thinks that Laura has stolen his rightful inheritance.
Lord Simeon Pallister is convinced that his brother Albert’s murder was arranged by the adulterous wife whom Albert was threatening to divorce. Simeon seeks the duke’s help to track down the perpetrators. Lord Amos, the duke’s brother, sees an opportunity to exorcise his personal demons by helping Simeon to find justice, unaware that it will involve taking partial responsibility for Laura’s problems too. Will Simeon find the proof he seeks? Will Laura ever feel truly free? Danger threatens at every turn. So too does the burgeoning passion that Laura and Simeon find it increasingly hard to ignore. But Laura has been burnt once and will never marry again…