Charlotte Burton, a Southern belle who's lost everything she values, arrives in London to solicit help from an old friend, Cade. Her father and brother lost their lives as they tried running a British naval blockade, and she needs a loan to restore the family fortune in Charleston. Charlotte hates the British and only dire circumstances would cause her to come to the land of the enemy. At her reunion with Cade, English ruffians interrupt them. Cade escapes, but he leaves her behind to deal with the men.

Lord Alfred Dewhust, Freddie to his friends, is an English baron and a spy for the king. He maintains the façade of a dandy to cover his clandestine activities. Since females surround him, including his four sisters, his masquerade is not difficult to preserve. After a near miss at capturing an American spy, he detains a beautiful redhead he believes in league with the spy. Knowing his weakness for redheads, Freddie resists his orders to present her as his wife, even though it's the perfect trap to capture the American spy.

Charlotte perceives Freddie as a warrior instead of a fop and knows she must never let down her guard. She only agrees to play his wife to evade prison, and it will allow her to warn Cade. Charlotte and Freddie's ruse quickly backfires as the flare of attraction draws them closer together. However, love cannot grow without trust, and Freddie is unsure of Charlotte's loyalties.

Ms. Galen shows a talent for levity in this battle of the sex's tale. Readers will chuckle at the sparkling banter, but the humor never overshadows the seriousness of Charlotte's dilemma of where her loyalties lie.