Miss Emma Harlow hasn’t earned the reputation like a hoyden for nothing at all, so when the Duke of Trent discovers her in his conservatory stealing one of his orchids, he isn’t surprised-charmed, delighted and puzzled, yes, however, not surprised. It is Emma who’s amazed. She has naturally figured the person reading in the conservatory must be the country cousin (who else in London would in fact browse?) and is fairly vexed to discover that he’s the Duke of Trent himself-imagine, stealing the duke’s about The Harlow Hoyden: A Regency Romance prize Rhyncholaelia digbyana under his very nose!

But her vexation doesn’t last long. For Emma is a practical dude with a mission: to get rid of her dear sister Lavinia’s engagement towards the villainous (and dreadfully boring!) Sir Waldo Windbourne, and she feels that the well-known libertine is merely the man for the work. If he would only seduce her sister away from Sir Waldo . Well, not seduce precisely, but flirt mercilessly and engage her interest. Probably then Lavinia would jilt the baron. The Duke of Trent is normally resistant, obviously. Despite his popularity, he will not toy with the affections of innocents. And besides, it’s not her sister he longs to seduce.