The Earl of Ardwick is furious when he is jilted by the lady of his desires, the ambitious Heloise Brook, with her eye on a Dukedom. All of London will know of the proud Peer's jilting. Shamed, he left without a partner for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee Ball. Then luck--or providence--places Lady Lupita Lang in the Earl's path... When he offered to help the young lady and her brother whose hackney carriage has had an accident, he began to see a way to get his revenge. Of impeccable lineage, Lupita was young, unspoilt, and lovely enough to outshine even the Earl's erstwhile amour. Behind her delight at her first society ball, Lupita bravely hides her fear for her young brother, who is in the sights of a ruthless cousin... Until the Earl names himself guardian to the winsome orphans--a role he will soon exchange for that of Husband to his heaven-sent bride!