Years ago, Lady Francesca St. Ives was divorced and cast out of her family--surrounded by rumors of a terrible scandal. Only her beloved Aunt Clarissa and Uncle John stood by her, taking her to their home in India.

Now heiress to a large fortune and known as Lady Fanny Wentworth, she returns to England to make a new life for herself--without the help of a man. But as they board the ship in Calais, she and her aunt rescue a little girl named Charlotte from thieves... and meet the child's father, the very handsome--and arrogant--Colonel Sir Derek Sheldon. Lady Fanny is charmed by sweet, innocent Charlotte, even as she is irritated by the child's father. Then an illness traps Lady Fanny at the Sheldon estate and, as she recovers, sharing close quarters with him, sparks begin to fly. Now Fanny must make a difficult decision--for if she trusts the Colonel with her heart, she must also trust him with the scandalous secrets of her past..