In a country far, far away…
Lady Gwendolyn Beaumaris and her brother have been known as the Downing twins since their father’s death when they were eight years old. Fearful that their grandfather, the Duke of Shackerley, would take her son, Gwen’s mother relocates them in Boston where she had family. At twenty-two, Gwen and her mother have been waiting to hear from her brother who is trying to make his fortune in the fur trade. Down to their last pennies, a wealthy middle-aged merchant comes to the rescue with a marriage proposal for Miss Downing.

The brass ring is so close…
Lord Wickton has worked tirelessly the past two years to bring honor back to the family name. His father’s debts have been paid, but now he needs the funds to restore the entailed estate to working order. When the viscount learns he is the heir presumptive to his great uncle’s dukedom, his prayers are answered. Sending out the obligatory investigators, he travels to Shackerley House to inspect his future inheritance.

A comedy of errors…
When a letter arrives announcing that Gwen’s brother is the new Duke of Shackerley, mother and daughter come up with a desperate plan: Gwendolyn will impersonate her brother and assume the dukedom until her brother can be located. But their confidence soon dwindles when the sinfully handsome Wickton meets them at the dock, and Gwen is hopelessly smitten.

A tale of love, deception, and the power of fate will entangle a desperate viscount with a daring female. Can he forgive her charade, or will he snuff out the burning passion that rages in her heart?