The late Earl of Rochester entrusts his faithful butler, Richard Robert Reeves, to find his illegitimate sons and turn them into gentlemen. This task should not prove difficult for this extraordinarily talented butler. Through manipulations by the earl, one son, Captain Tristan Llevanth, will have the earldom if he can prove to be worthy of the name.

When Richard Robert Reeves arrives on Tristan's doorstep, Tristan immediately orders him off the premises. He has no love for the late earl. Due to the earl's neglect, Tristan and his brother fell into unscrupulous hands after their mother's death. Tristan, a one-time pirate, suffers wounds that keep him from returning to the sea. He now must struggle to find a place for himself and his crew. But his inheritance could make life easier for him and his men, so he reluctantly puts himself in the butler's hands.

Prudence Thistlewaite lives down the road from a houseful of men who ignore their responsibilities to their neighbors. Furious at finding another of their sheep in her garden, Prudence sets out to give the captain and his crew a good tongue-lashing. Prudence is surprised to find a handsome man who tempts her for the first time since her husband's death. Induced by the feelings he stirs, Prudence accepts the challenge from the butler to turn Tristan into a gentleman.

Thrown together, Prudence and Tristan succumb to their desires. However, in order to meet the will's stipulations, Tristan cannot offer Prudence marriage. He struggles as he searches for the right choices.

Ms. Hawkins begins a new series that's outrageously funny with its assortment of characters. Well-written with dialogue guaranteed to please, this beguiling tale will brighten readers' days.