After celebrating his new engagement to a proper young lady, Constantine, Lord Wylde, returns home to find a furious pirate waiting. He is aghast when the old pirate announces that Constantine is already engaged to his granddaughter through a pact made by Constantine's late father. A father he never knew. Constantine's uncle raised him with stories that his father died a hero in the war. His uncle instilled in him the highest morals and strict code for a gentleman, so he would never lie. Constantine's whole world crumbles as the pirate relates how his father died as a highwayman in commission of a crime. Furthermore, his great-grandfather was an infamous buccaneer. After an angry confrontation with his uncle, Constantine leaves to discover his father's history and to meet his fiancée.

As a young girl, Lisabeth Bigod fell in love with the portrait of a dashing highwayman and listened to tales of his exploits. When her grandfather returns with Constantine, disappointment descends upon her. Constantine looks like his father, but behaves with airs and graces as a proper London gent. With her unconventional upbringing by an assortment of eccentric and colorful characters, she knows Constantine views her as an oddity. She's been raised as a free spirit who voices her opinions. She's not a proper lady at all.

Wanting to understand the past, Constantine stays and asks for Lisabeth's help in discovering the truth. As she spends time with him, Lisabeth sees a different fellow emerging. A real man she realizes she could love, not the illusion she's built in her mind. However, Constantine must come to terms with his history before he can deal with the present, no matter how attractive he finds Lisabeth.

Ms. Layton gives readers a special treat with a plain- speaking heroine who teaches a slightly priggish gentleman to accept the past and live a life based on what he wishes, not what others wish for him. It's a challenging path for him having always acceded to following a strict upbringing that allows no true joy or happiness.