When Bella Holsworthy returns to England after fifteen years roaming the globe with her husband, an elderly diplomat, she quickly finds herself in a position more perilous than any in her travelsthe Court of King George IV. As the newly elevated Earl and Countess settle into an unfamilar life in London, this shy, not-so-young lady faces wicked agendas, society's censure, and the realities of a woman soon to be alone in England.
Unaccustomed to the ways of the beau monde, she is disarmed and deceived by a dissolute duke and a noble French émigré with a silver tongue. Hindered by the meddling of her dying husband, not to mention the King himself, Bella must decide between two eligible, fascinating--dangerous--suitors or the quiet country life she has searched the world to find.