Lord Hayden Rothwell feels unsettled by the disasters that have befallen the women of the Longworth household. But only he knows that it could be much worse and that his own actions have actually saved the family some heartache. The head of the family, weak-willed Timothy Longworth, was stealing from the family bank. Instead of letting him hang, Rothwell steps in to save his life, but in doing so must destroy the family's fortune so all the money can be paid back.

Cousin Alexia Welbourne is penniless and has been living with the Longworth family. She is determined not to be a burden to the financially destroyed family and so must make her own way. Reluctantly, she takes a position with Rothwell's family, working as a companion to his aunt and a governess for a young cousin.

Unfortunately, a strong attraction between Alexia and Hayden is just the thing needed to mess up their well-laid plans. Alexia is determined not to give in, knowing that is the road to ruin. She may be poor, but she has a strong vein of pride running through her. And besides, no one could possibly fight the memory of the love she has for her slain cousin, Benjamin.

As always, Ms. Hunter excels at drawing characters with true motivations and realistic personalities. I have read every one of her books and always enjoy them. Although I figured out early where this storyline was going, I was compelled to keep reading because I just had to find out what was going to happen to these people. It was particularly interesting to watch the characters in the Longworth family evolve during a time of crisis.