Marianne Pembroke has been sent to Bath by her parents to stay with her aunt, the formidable Lady Barrington, for one purpose only – to find a new husband. Widowed tragically young, Marianne’s circumstances mean that she must be successful in the marriage market or suffer the indignity of becoming a governess. But Marianne is determined to remain unwed, for she fears her heart bears so many scars she will never be able to love again.

Edmund Templeton is the heir to his father’s title and fortune. His parents think it is high time he settled down and made a suitable marriage, but he is in no hurry to give up his life of leisure. For where would be the fun in that?

Once Marianne and Edmund discover what they have in common – a wish not to marry – they become firm friends, a situation they are both sure they are perfectly content with. Then events take a dramatic turn with a sudden illness, a duel and the re-emergence of an old enemy of the Templeton family who is not quite what he seems...