In Suffolk, every unmarried young lady knows that, if she ever wants to find a match, she must walk, speak, eat, even laugh properly. A young woman looking to marry is always sweet and demure, charming and gracious, and, of course, deferential. But not Kate Rendell. An anomaly, Kate could not care less what people think of her and her tendency to speak her mind. Her suitors have all taken a disliking to this quirk of hers--and taken flight. And Kate has not minded. That is, until one man walks into her life...

When Harry Gerard, Lord Ainsworth, calls upon Kate to view her family's much-admired painting of a girl with a Persian shawl, his hostess's rudeness takes him by surprise, and he leaves confused. But for all the gall she displayed during his visit, Kate finds herself thinking about him more and more. And she would never let anything stand between herself and the object of her desire--even if the obstacle is her beloved cousin...