As long as a lady has hope in her heart, it doesn't matter the obstacles she faces on the path to love.

Through no fault of her own, the Honorable Evelina Aston has fallen headfirst into the scandal of the Season. With her father on the brink of bankruptcy, when she's caught alone and in a compromising position with an earl, he calls for an immediate proposal. It doesn't matter that the man she's being forced to wed is a rake high on the instep, she has no say in the proceedings.

Charles Bowling, Earl of Ethersham—and heir to the Duke of Tarkington—is in a spot of bother. Caught literally with his pants down in a lady's retiring room, he's mired in further disgrace when a woman—not the one he was waiting for—comes flying into the room, trips, and lands at his feet. Parental outrage ensues. Before he can protest, he's wedded to the shy lady, and they're bound for his father's country estate in the Lake District to begin their life of married inconvenience.

With tarnished reputations and gossip trailing in their wake, both Evelina and Charles are forced into close proximity. As the July days go by, desire flares as hot as the summer sun while they explore the woodlands and fells, but differences and misunderstandings keep widening the gulf in their tempestuous relationship. To say nothing of the unexpected peril that dogs their steps and puts what they truly want into sharp perspective.