When Raven Emerson, actress extraordinaire, is asked to impersonate a missing noblewoman, she is curious enough to accept despite the risk to herself should she get caught. Delving into the mystery that is her employer occupies her despite the physical temptation the man represents. Having sworn never to take another protector after the horrifying spectacle she'd made of herself over the last one, this is a challenge of monumental proportions.
Her employer, the elusive Duke of Windhaven, is desperate to make his family think he is properly and happily engaged. Hiring Raven is a means to an end. Falling in love with her merely increases his determination to call the beautiful actress his own. Staging a phony marriage ceremony to satisfy his grandmother helps reveal certain things about Raven that do not add up. Fighting demons from his own past, he convinces Raven to uphold the charade until he can uncover the secrets of her childhood.