When faced with a rakish, lusty husband, what is a proper English wife to do but educate herself in the art of bedplay? “Marriages are strange things, none stranger perhaps than this betwixt me and my lord husband.” Lady Cecelia is married to the dashing and philandering Lord William Stanton, a situation that would distress even the most composed and refined gently–born lady. However, Cecelia has a secret balm to her dissatisfaction: her maid, Bess Miller. Cecelia's inexperience and William's insatiable appetites fuel her desire to learn, and Bess is a willing teacher. Then, when Cecelia blossoms into pregnancy and can no longer accommodate William's needs, he distances himself, and Bess becomes her only solace and comfort – and the channel for her most intimate desires. As Cecelia struggles to understand her own feelings, gossip begins to spread. William starts asking questions, and wicked confessions must be made...