Celesta was terrified. Parentless and alone save for the companionship of her old nurse, she had just learned that her brother Giles had lost their family home at the gambling tables. Celesta couldn't stay in her tiny cottage the edge of the estate without the permission of the new owner, the Earl of Meltham.

But as soon as he saw his pretty new tenant, the Earl had other plans for her. He offered her his "protection," convinced that the destitute girl would jump at the chance to become a wealthy man's mistress. Celesta was horrified by the idea. But where could she turn for help to resist the Earl's unwanted advances?