No one could ever accuse Rebecca Tremaine of being a proper young lady. She's wretched at needlework, pitiful at the pianoforte, and entirely too informed about the human body, courtesy of her father's scientific journals. So no one is terribly surprised when she manages to get herself compromised by a dandy she despises. When her parents arrange a hasty marriage, there is only one man she can turn to for help: her father's Irish groom, Connor Riordan.

No one knows that Connor Riordan is the fifth Duke of Dunbrooke, "killed" in action at Waterloo, and he wants it to stay that way. But a true gentleman never turns away a damsel in distress. Connor agrees to spirit Rebecca away— bumbling highwaymen, a scheming duchess, and Rebecca's fiancé in hot pursuit.

But time alone with the beautiful and desirable Rebecca jeopardizes Connor's secret every day—and tests his willpower every night. For if ever there was a reason to bring the Duke of Dunbrooke back from the dead, it would be to make Rebecca Tremaine his Duchess!