Lucy Hadley has no time for the chattering of high society, while her healing talents have earned her the reputation of being a witch. Called to the bedside of the Earl of Lauderdale, who is seriously ill, she meets the nobleman’s best friend, Jack de Nerval, a mysterious duke who has sailed the seven seas in the service of Napoleon’s navy.

It’s the beginning of a stormy relationship with the man for whom Lucy comes to feel an unconditional love. But the duke’s heart is not hers for the taking: Jack is married and has a family, and his sense of honour and duty prevent him from contemplating divorce.

Courted by suitors on all sides while she has eyes only for him, and prompted by her elder brother to find a husband, Lucy’s torments have only just begun…