When Bella Rushdale finds herself fiercely attracted to landowner Lucerne Marlinscar, she doesn't expect that the rival for his affections will be another man. Handsome and decadent, Marquis Pennerley has desired Lucerne for years and now, at the remote Lauwine Hall, he intends to claim him. This leads to a passionate struggle for dominance - at the risk of scandal - between a high-spirited lady and a debauched aristocrat. Who will Lucerne choose?...