The fifth bachelor of the Bastion Club has proved his courage while fighting England's enemies, but nothing has prepared him for that most formidable of challenges: the opposite sex.

Deverell, Viscount Paignton, is in desperate need of a wife. Unmoved by the matchmaking herd, he seeks help from his eccentric aunt Audrey. She directs him to her goddaughter, Miss Phoebe Malleson - and attraction instantly sparks between them.

But Phoebe has turned her back deliberately on matrimony, to pursue a secret crusade to save young girls from danger. Which means Deverell has to embark on a campaign to change one very stubborn lady's mind. Meanwhile, a powerful figure has targeted Phoebe's cause for destruction - and has Phoebe in their sights. Phoebe must accept Deverell's help, though the cost to them both might be dear...or even deadly.