Resigned to becoming an old maid, honorable Adela Ruffington earns money selling her erotic illustrations-which she bases on her intimate memory of an encounter in her youth. Her wages help to support her mother and sister who, thanks to her grandfather's complicated will, are about to be without a home, title or income.

Wilson Ruffington, still smarting from the rejection of his last paramour, never anticipated the intense desire Adela could still stir within him. Their long-ago passion instantly reignites at a summer house party-the experience they've gained as adults only adding fuel to the flames.

Wilson and Adela are insatiable, but soon the ton will begin to talk. So Wilson devises a ruse-a marriage of convenience that will provide her family with a generous settlement, but which will also keep Adela in his bed without stirring scandal. Their plan works perfectly, until family rivalries and intrigue threaten to destroy their arrangement...and the unspoken love blooming beneath it.