Mr. Marcus Bowen, former ward and now trusted man of business to the Marquess of Ellesmere, has returned from the brink of death after surviving a knife-wielding thief only to have his perfectly ordered life fall into chaos. A mysterious package arrives and reveals his past is nothing but a lie. To make matters worse, the woman he once shared a passionate, ill-fated kiss with insists he help her capture a proposal from another man-a man far more befitting her station than the son of servants. The dictates of her father's will are clear-Lady Rebecca Sheridan must put away her childhood fantasies of Marcus Bowen and marry the very proper Lord Selward. A feat she must accomplish before her next birthday or watch as her family fortunes are forfeited. When Lord Selward drags his feet on a proposal, Rebecca grows desperate and turns to the one man she trusts above all others for assistance-Marcus. But Rebecca soon learns how easily unspoken passions can be re-ignited, and how thin the line between love and friendship can be. As Marcus works to unravel the mystery of his past and discover his true identity, can he ignore the sinful temptation Lady Rebecca presents? Or will long-ignored desires and well-buried secrets bring them both to the brink of ruin, destroying any hope of a happy future?