Lady Arabella Lucia Fairborne has no need for a husband. She has a fine inheritance for the taking, a perfectly capable mind, and a resolve as tough as nails. But what she doesn't have is the freedom to defy her cousin's will—and his will is to see her married immediately to the husband of his choosing. So is it any wonder that she dresses herself as a scullery maid and bolts into the night?

Colin Somerville's current mission for the home office is going poorly. Who would have expected otherwise for a rakish spy tasked with transporting a baby to the care of the royal palace? But when Colin, injured and out of ideas, stumbles upon a beautiful maid who knows her way around a sickroom, it seems salvation has arrived…until he realizes that, although Lucy may be able to help him survive his expedition, he may not escape this ordeal with his heart intact.