For Finlay Swinton, Viscount Firthwell and only son of a powerful earl, life has been a lark...until he discovers a terrible family secret that could ruin him. Determined to make a name for himself free of scandal's shadow, he runs for Parliament. However, he encounters Charlotte, the mysterious woman who disappeared after their one night together, and he finds it impossible to stay away, despite her working class status and Jewish faith that threaten to destroy his chance for success. Widowed, penniless, and desperate, Charlotte Taylor secures a teaching position at a foundling home and relaxes into a predictable existence. That is, until Finlay, the man she shared one romantic night with, reappears, a specter from her past. He ignites her passion, even while he threatens the precarious foundation on which she's rebuilt her life. But when those from her past return to endanger her hard-earned security, she'll have to reveal his secret or go to prison.