Lady Viola Thornhill is as lighthearted as the May Day celebration she's organized in her home village of Trellick. The mistress of Pinewood Manor has carved out a full, respected and satisfying life in the quiet, picturesque community until Lord Ferdinand Dudley rides into the festivities. The attraction between Lady Vi and Lord Dudley generates enough sparks to light the bonfires illuminating the evening dance.

Lady Thornhill's amusement and pleasure when Lord Dudley unexpectedly appears at the door of Pinewood Manor the next day turns sour as he announces his legal right to the estate. Refusing to leave the manor she's called home for two years, Lady Viola matches Lord Dudley's determination to claim the property although she hasn't a shred of proof it was legally bequeathed to her. A battle of wills ensues as Lady Thornhill attempts to make life at the manor utterly unpleasant for her unwelcome housemate and Lord Dudley perversely responds with infuriating and charming good humor.

But Lady Viola has a secret. The stakes are far higher than Lord Dudley imagines. Lady Vi finds her heart is in as much peril of being lost to the handsome, accomplished Lord as is her beloved manor. She struggles to stay in control of both because the alternative is as unwelcome and unthinkable as her former life.

Mary Balogh revisits the Dudley family in a fast paced regency, with multi-layered characters and enough plot twists and turns to rival the best mysteries. Her knowledge of the period details the novel with rich description and her skill as a storyteller keeps the pages turning as we follow the Lady and her Lord from rural England to the ton of London society. Even the most minor characters spring to full blown life in this tale of love and betrayal in an era when reputation was everything and a lady's good name was worth fighting for.

This delightfully deft novel seamlessly blends humor and sensual romance, conflict and pathos. You will be caught up with Lady Viola and Lord Dudley to the last page as their complex pasts, combined with the conventions of regency England, conspire to destroy her and the future they so desperately desire together.