Lady Dorcus Calthorp, daughter of the Marquis of Huntington, loved and lost during her first Season, leaving her suspicious of gentlemen. Now Dorie finds herself with no marital prospects in sight-until Alexander, the newly elevated Marquis of Exeter, arrives in town. Handsome, charming, and an interesting conversationalist, he at first seems to be her perfect match. Then Dorie discovers he may not be seeking a wife so much as a land steward and mother to his sisters...

After learning of his father's death, Alexander returns home to find his mother has run off with his land steward, leaving his younger sisters with their governesses. The most expedient solution is a wife who will take the household and estate in hand while he assumes his role in parliament. Lady Dorie meets all the requirements-until she makes a surprising proposal. Instead of marrying Alexander, she will tutor him in his duties, freeing him to find his heart's match. Yet the more Dorie teaches him, the more he longs to change their course of study-to love. And with the end of the Season nearing, he doesn't have much time...