Scarred in a fire as an infant and rejected by her cruel father, Ella believes she is unworthy of love and is reconciled to spinsterhood; she is dismayed when Stephen Thorne, Duke of Hart re-enters her life. She had last seen him when he had proposed, assuming she would fall at his feet in gratitude, as no-one else would offer for a disfigured bride. However, now he needs her help to decipher a code which threatens to bring down the king and incite a revolution. Unknown to him, Ella has a talent for mathematics and deciphering, once she breaks the code, she insists on being included in his plans, she wants one adventure before she settles to her life as a spinster. He is amazed to find she has other talents and they are soon embroiled in a dangerous mission, complicated by their undeniable attraction for each other. Stephen has always loved her and curses the crassness of his youth, but Ella's mental scars run deep and she is not easily persuaded of his love, though she cannot deny that she is beginning to have feelings for him. Once the exhilaration of the mission is over will his feelings subside? Will he toss her aside for a more suitable bride? Or will they survive and claim the happiness they deserve?