Handsome Raphael Locke, the heir to a dukedom who is wealthy beyond measure and the most sought-after young lord in England, prefers to pursue rather than be pursued. He instantly dislikes social climber Ophelia Reid, the daughter of an earl, when she flirts outrageously with him even though she is beautiful. When he finds her in tears, truly upset after she receives her comeuppance for attempting to break up Sabrina Lambert and Duncan MacTavish (the protagonists of THE HEIR), he comforts her in his arms and begins to wonder if she's not all bad. When a friend claims that Ophelia will never be anything but a shrewish beauty, Rafe accepts the challenge of turning her into a kind lady who will one day make a good match and find happiness. With her social-climbing parents' permission, Rafe takes Ophelia and her chaperone to his remote estate in the countryside. Ophelia is furious and distrusts Rafe's motives, but Rafe, who persists in showing her the errors of her ways, learns the surprising reasons for Ophelia's bad behaviour. Once she has redeemed herself, Rafe champions her in London society.But as Ophelia receives one marriage proposal after another, Rafe realizes - perhaps too late -that he has fallen in love with her himself.