How do you hold your head high when your fiancé and best friend betray you? The answer is simple: you don't. When society sneers at you and blames you for the fiasco that was your ruined wedding, there is little you can do to redeem your self-esteem. The dowagers who rule the ton have decided your reputation is destroyed, and your parents, concerned for your younger sister's future, don't fight the ruling and exile you to the country.

When Julia's brother and his insufferable wife decide to make their home on the same country estate that has been her refuge for three years, her sister, Esther, convinces Julia to return to town.

Unwelcome in society, Julia gets revenge, which has the ton members nervously looking over their shoulders. Presented with the opportunity to marry, Julia travels to the home of Abraham Brisbane, the Earl of Westwood, to marry the reclusive man. Things don't go well, and Julia considers ending the marriage despite the threat of further ruination. After an unexpected event, Abraham has a change of heart.

Ready to face the ton, Julia and Abraham travel to London, where more challenges await them. Can they end the rumours plaguing Julia, or is she always to have a tainted reputation?