Aileen Connell has always been the belle of every ball. Beautiful and wealthy, she is the charming daughter of a duke, an accomplished flirt with a rather shocking reputation. A reputation that infuriates her father so much he puts a stop to it by arranging her betrothal to his friend's eldest son, Manuel Foster, the future Marquess of West Yorkshire. Confident in her ability to bring her new fiance to heel with her dazzling beauty and storied wiles, Aileen obeys her father and travels to the Foster's manor house. She is shocked to discover that her betrothed is blind. Bound to marry him, Aileen wonders what charms could she have, what power could she hold over a man who could not see her. She speaks her vows, hopeless at the prospect of a dull, loveless marriage, a husband to whom she can offer nothing. As Aileen comes to know Manuel, she finds not only that he is a clever man of substance, but, shockingly, he finds her clever and bewitching. Once the most scandalous debutante in the finest ballrooms, Aileen is baffled that he is attracted to her mind and her personality. Manuel's intensity, his insistence that he finds her opinions fascinating propel her to seek the life she knew, the life she thrived on for so long. She throws a party, a bacchanal really, ostensibly to celebrate their marriage. While he retreats from the riotous festivities, Aileen is in her element, surrounded by a clutch of admirers as champagne flows freely. Will her reentry to society be fitting a future Marchioness-or an adulteress fleeing her arranged marriage?"