The endless balls and soirees have Jack Thorndike seeking adventure in the darkest parts of London, moving perilously closer to becoming the reprobate his father was. Until the daughter of a country vicar mistakes him for a duke.

Angela Ainsley believes fate intervened when Jack rescued her. If only she can convince him.

It was never Jack’s intention to pretend to be his brother, the Duke of Stratford, and when Angela invites him to her quaint village, he cannot refuse. Before he knows it, Jack purchases a home in the village. When one of the locals is murdered, Angela and the villagers look to their new neighbor, the Duke of Stratford, to investigate the crime, with Angela acting as his assistant, of course.

Now what once was an innocent omission has turned into an elaborate charade. One he is not sure he should end. If Jack admits he’s been pretending, he may lose Angela. And the feeling of belonging he never knew existed.