Alister maintains a public facade as a social simpleton to hide his dangerous work for the Crown.

The story centers on , the widow of the Earl of Weston, who has just escaped a three-year abusive marriage only to be arrested for her husband's murder. Though innocent of the crime, she is nearly friendless until Alister Ayles, the Duke of Albright , intervenes to take her into his custody.

The protagonists share a past, adding emotional weight to their current forced proximity.