Miss Emma Wynn has spent the last year at Ashwick Hall under the protection of Lady Westcliffe. Her uncle and brother think her dead and must continue to do so until she attains her majority. She must prove she is a fit guardian to re-establish herself and protect her brother. When permitted to visit her friend, Lady Eagleton, she is drawn to the reclusive Mr Carne. She suspects, however, that some scandal is attached to him, and she cannot afford to be tainted by association.

Baxter Fernley, the earl of Grafton, takes his duty as a member of the ton with the utmost sincerity, even if King George III has lost his mind. Baxter despises almost everything about his traitorous American neighbor, everything except her beauty and strong will. Briar finds Baxter to be an infuriating man without any common sense, even if she does admire his strength of character and loyalty to family and duty. When they agree to be civil, their awkward first meeting is forgotten and these enemies find themselves hoping for love.

In the eyes of London Society, Gillian Phelps is suitable enough. Though the ton whispers about her change of residence, any speculation remains just that: ballroom gossip. No one—not even the other Huntresses, the group of ladies she calls her dearest friends—knows that she is harboring a devastating family secret. Gillian has become adept at hiding the reality of her circumstances, but the close quarters of a house party will test her ability to conceal the crushing truth. And with so many people to deceive, the late arrival of another guest is a most unwelcome surprise.

Amid the glamour and intrigue of the Congress of Vienna, Lena Arenheim and her musical family perform at aristocratic soirees to make ends meet. When, out of the blue, the sister of the arrogant Duke of Aldingbourne proclaims Lena to be her brother's long-lost duchess, her safe but small world is turned upside down. Amid opulent ballrooms and echoes of forgotten memories, Lina embarks on a quest to uncover the secrets of her past.

Lord Elliott Mayfield sees the new generation of his family moving in the same direction of bad matches and scandalous relationships as the last. In hopes to change their course, he establishes a "marriage campaign" to motivate them to improve themselves through making respectable matches. Peter, Elliott's eldest nephew, thinks the entire idea is ridiculous. A widower with two young daughters, he simply needs a governess, not a wife. Julia Hollingsworth has the credentials and the experience, but is too young and pretty for such a job. So why can't he stop thinking about her?