She was born to break down walls. The daughter of the Duke of Sutherland, Ian Stanford, Lady Jacqueline, has resigned herself to a life alone. Refusing to kowtow to standards set by the ton, Jacqueline wishes to focus her attentions on running her father's cargo shipping business. Her father raised her to be fearless and curious, athletic and intelligent. Jacqueline can't bring herself to marry a man who doesn't accept her as the hoyden she is.
He was raised to keep his feelings hidden, to maintain total control and never let anyone affect him. The son of Peter Wright, the Earl of Norfolk, taught Colin Wright, the Viscount of Mulberry, to be cold and never show weakness by accepting affection. Only Jacqueline's dangerous shenanigans cut through his armour, causing him to feel fear and anxiety he fights to suppress. Though Ian tried to mentor Colin, taking him into his home as a young boy, he can't undo the damage of a father unable to show love to his child. And when Colin goes off to university, he refused to return to Nightingale Manor, unable to endure the dismay he constantly sees on Ian's face.
However, after the tragic death of Jacqueline's parents, Colin is thrust back into her life, at the whims of his father and stepmother who try to quell everything Ian held dear about his daughter. Colin is confronted with the daunting task of facing his own demons and the challenge of loving a woman who possesses the ability to shatter the barriers he carefully put in place to never feel pain or love. And when her life is put in danger, he must either let go of his control or risk losing the only person he could ever love.
