Sir Richard Kenworthy has less than a month to find a bride. He knows he cant be too picky, but when he sees Iris Smythe-Smith hiding behind her cello at her familys infamous musicale, he thinks he might have struck gold. Shes the type of girl you dont notice until the second—or third—look, but theres something about her, something simmering under the surface, and he knows shes the one.

Iris Smythe–Smith is used to being underestimated. With her pale hair and quiet, sly wit she tends to blend into the background, and she likes it that way. So when Richard Kenworthy demands an introduction, she is suspicious. He flirts, he charms, he gives every impression of a man falling in love, but she cant quite believe its all true. When his proposal of marriage turns into a compromising position that forces the issue, she cant help thinking that hes hiding something . . . even as her heart tells her to say yes.