England, 1817. Miss Adeline Hays is out of options. Determined to escape marriage to a repugnant earl, she plans to deliberately allow herself to be caught in a compromising position at a house party with the much kinder man she'd hoped to marry. Instead, Adeline accidentally enters the wrong chamber and tumbles into the bed of the mad duke.

Edmond Rochester, the duke of Wolverton, is seeking a wife to care for his two daughters. A young lady of sensibilities, accomplishment, and most importantly, one who he is not attracted to-a complete opposite of the bewitching beauty who traps him into marriage. But despite the lust he feels for his new duchess, Edmond is resolved to never allow them intimacy, refusing to suffer the tormenting loss of a loved one all over again.