Lady Penelope Wherlock Hutton-Moore is bound, gagged and hauled off to a brothel. She is then drugged and tied to a bed as a sacrifice. Only the greed of Mrs. Cratchit saves her from the fate that was intended. Instead of being saved for an unknown gentleman, she is offered to another for the night.

Lord Ashton Radmoor is about to be engaged to Lady Clarissa Hutton-Moore. The marriage is to be an alliance of money and his need for it. There is no emotion involved. His friend takes him to a brothel where he is taken to a room where sees the enchanting form of Penelope. Before he has a chance to do more than lay down on the bed, several young men with knives stop him. As he helps them deliver Penelope to Wherlocke House, he is intrigued by the name of the house and the young lady.

As he learns more about Penelope and her odd family, his interest grows. Even though he is now engaged, he finds himself dreading the marriage more and more. Meanwhile, he drawn into the drama around the Wherlocke family as more attempts are made on Penelope's life.

Ashton will join in the attempts to discover who is trying to kill Penelope and what she has that would require such desparate actions.

The Wherlocke family is known for their reclusive behavior as much as for their odd behavior. There are tales of unusual talents and gifts. Penelope has the gift of being able to talk to ghosts and being able to ease them on their way. Ashton has trouble assimilating these abilities but finds himself more believing as unexplainable events occur when he is around members of the Wherlocke family.

This is an interesting story with a lot of action. As I got farther into the book, I found myself becoming engrossed in the story at the same time I was appalled by the sheer evil of the villians. Ms. Howell has added to her series with a powerful story which will keep the reader entrhalled with the characters and the plot. Even though this is part of a series, it stands on its own. Someone starting with this book would not feel that there was something they needed to know and didn't.