Katherine Howe got married to suit her parents and it didn't work out well. Now, her mother is pressuring her to marry the husband's heir. It seems her late husband borrowed money from Katherine's father and the account is coming due. He thinks that the best way to solve everyone's problems is for the two of them to marry.
But Katherine doesn't want to marry the heir. He's a very religious man who will only kill her spirit. Instead, she decides to propose to Gerard de Lacey. He helped her one time and she's been thinking about the man ever since.
Gerard de Lacey has his own set of problems. It seems that he and his brothers, sons of a duke, may not actually be legitimate. They stand to lose a lot of money as well as their social prominence if it's true so he's now on the trail of the blackmailer who is threatening to expose their secrets. Katherine hits him at exactly the right time. Her fortune is enough to keep him in the lifestyle to which he's become accustomed, her figure isn't displeasing and her spirit is impressive.
Can these two not only discover a blackmailer but fall in love?