Forced to marry a man she couldn't love, there was only one thing to do. Run. Because her father and brothers were mired in gambling debts, Emily Ventrable had no choice but to marry that horrid old man, Lord Keynes, whose money could solve the family's problems. But soon she realized she could not bear his touch. With the help of a kind servant, Emily escaped and fled to London. She obtained a position as a parlour maid in the home of Lady Fordyce, and was thankful to be free at last. But it wasn't long before she was spotted as "quality." And spotted as beautiful by Lady Fordyce's brother, Lord Beaumont. Suddenly, Emily was caught up in encounters and adventures that were to change the course of her life....