Lady Cecilia Maitland has everything an unmarried woman could want: money of her own, high social status, and the ability to live life on her own terms. What she doesn't have is the only man she ever loved. She turned down James's proposal all those years ago and didn't see him again...until he turned up at a house party in search of a patron. Cecilia knows she can provide him the monetary and social support he needs if they marry, but will he accept such an offer from the woman who broke his heart? And what will it cost her if he does?

Mr. James Fitzsimmons is the son of a well-to-do farmer, solidly among the ranks of the gentry but not privileged enough to move in the same circles as a duke's daughter. Meeting Lady Cecilia seventeen years ago was pure luck, but falling in love with her was pure torment. When she refused his offer of marriage he vowed to put her out of his mind-and his heart. But when James discovers a powerful lord is threatening to take the farm and ruin the Fitzsimmons name, he knows he needs an influential ally. Can James agree to Cecilia's terms and risk his heart once more to save his family?