Orphan Gillie Muir makes ends meet by holding genteel card parties for friends and visitors to the newly stylish spa town of Blackhaven. But when Lord Wickenden, known as the Wicked Baron, makes her a surprising proposal, her globe is turned ugly.

Jaded and uninterested, Lord Wickenden provides his own reasons for joining the house party at Braithwaite Castle. One of these is definitely to oblige an ex-mistress by detaching her son from the neighborhood video gaming den hussy that has ensnared him. But, faced with Gillie’s unpredicted appeal and innocence, Wickenden abandons his primary plan of merely acquiring her for himself.

Instead, he turns into embroiled in her bizarre complications, which include saving her status and her existence, keeping the Watch from her cards parties, and hiding an harmed smuggler who was once kind to her.

The infuriating and damaging Wickenden quickly has Gillie’s heart within a spin. But when she discovers he means to battle a duel over her-and everyone knows the wicked baron by no means misses-she’ll go to any duration to save his existence and his spirit. Also elope with another guy.