Inventor and engineer Adrian Cole, "Raven" had a rough childhood on London streets. Once one of the Duke of Wenlock's 'lost boys, ' he's now heir to his industrialist grandfather's fortune. Newly knighted after his fire-fighting invention and daring saved lives when the Houses of Parliament burned, Raven now seeks a wife. Falling for a high-born beauty, he leases and renovates a country estate so he can court her, confident he can rise above his past. But his quick-witted, reclusive landlord has him second-guessing himself and his choices. After a disastrous London Season and a crippling accident, Lady Cassandra Lavenham secludes herself at her grandmother's neglected estate, Vernwood Hall. She struggles to keep the once stately home from ruin. When a wealthy man wants to lease and renovate the property, her prayers seem answered. Then friendship and attraction inconvenient bloom as Raven's heart is set on another Cassie knows to be cruel and faithless. Cassie helps Raven prepare for the midsummer ball where he plans to propose. Dare she hope Raven will see the love standing in front of him?