Cecilia Sentenell has been chosen by the reputed rake, the Earl of Arandale to be his bride. But Cecilia has other plans for her life and they don't include Arandale, much to her father's dismay and the earl's disbelief. Yet Cecilia's rejection makes Arandale aware of her as he had not been before and her criticism of him makes him determined to be a man she would admire--the man he was before tragedy upset his life. But dangerous schemes are soon to affect Cecilia's life in other ways. Her father's heir, Alex Shackel, has developed a sinister plan to force Cecilia to become his bride. Cecilia turns to Lord Arandale when Shackel's schemes threaten her very life.