An irrepressible rake, Lord Jack Byron is more than happy to be a bachelor. But his carefree lifestyle is thrown into jeopardy when he loses a fortune gambling - to a merchant, of all people. And the man doesn't want money as payment. Instead, he wants Jack to marry his firmly on-the-shelf daughter! Having given no thought to marriage, Jack wasn't certain a spinster like Grace Danvers was the woman to convince him otherwise. To make matters worse, her father wants the whole thing kept secret, so Jack must make her fall in love! Surprised at how easy it is to spend time in the wonderfully intelligent Grace's company - and even more surprised at how un-spinsterlike she appears - this is one debt Jack is suddenly very happy to pay off. But with his own heart now at risk, Jack will do whatever it takes to make sure Grace never finds out the devastating secret of what brought him to her door.