Sophie, Lady Lewisham, is an independent woman of means, who has just emerged from her year of mourning. Determined to further her studies of the classical world, she accepts an invitation from her deceased husband's cousin Lady Renfrew to visit London and acquire the permissions and letters of introduction she requires to travel. Her brief experience of the fortune hunters and gossip-mongers that litter the ton, only make her more certain of her plans.
Sir Philip Bray is a confirmed bachelor with his own demons. When he receives an unexpected letter from his long lost friend, Harry, Viscount Treleven, who is ill in Pisa, he is determined to bring him home. Neither have any time or inclination for romance. However, their paths cross in England, France and Italy. Could he be the hero she thinks she does not need or want?