Bound by convention, William Calthorpe, Duke of Aylsham, is in search of a respectable bride who will help him raise his half-siblings after the death of his father. However, fate decrees otherwise, and while walking along the border of his estate, he literally stumbles upon Verity Wingate, the rebellious and freedom-loving daughter of a bishop. And when, by the will of fate, they find themselves together on a tiny deserted island and spend the night there, thereby finally and irrevocably compromising themselves in the eyes of their prim surroundings, he knows exactly what he must do. But Verity has a completely different view of what happened...