With a new dress and a marriage in two weeks to Douglas, the son of Marquis Graydon, Susannah Makepeace was feeling smug with the world and her place in it. Suddenly, with the murder of her father, she is left penniless and is speedily dumped by her friends, servants and fiancé. Only a kind letter from a distant aunt, Frances Perriman, saves her by inviting her to her humble home in rural Barnstable.

Trying to come to terms with her new and lonely situation, the lovely Susannah grabs her sketchbook and takes a walk. Seeing a pond through the woods, she starts towards it when she spies the glorious body of a man swimming au naturel and can't help but starts to draw him. Caught in the act, she hopes not to see him again, however, while attending a local assembly, she is shocked to find out Kit is really Christopher Whitelaw, Viscount Grantham.

Forced by his father to develop a naturist folio or be banished to Egypt, Kit quickly realizes that Susannah is a better artist and he employs her to help with his project. His quest for flora and fauna are marred by manmade accidents and Kit realizes that both Susannah's life and his heart are in peril. Despite good intentions to obey his father, the exiled spy gets caught up in new adventures that keep looping back to past mysteries and an old flame. Can they find out the truth about who Susannah's parents really are before Kit's old nemesis, Morley Thaddeus, a powerbroker in the British government, sends all who know to the grave?

This is a great read by Julie Anne Long! The dialogue sparkles with wit and there is strong development of the two main characters as they come to terms with their changing roles. I enjoyed Frances' practicality and the introduction of other characters, like Daisy Jones, adds interesting insights into life early nineteenth century life in England. Quite the captivating read!