Shortly after the death of her father the Earl of Weir, beautiful young Lady Arletta is penniless, having been ousted from the family estate. Desperate to escape her misery she is heartened to hear that her close friend Jane is to be married to the new Bishop of Jamaica. The trouble is that at the same time she had agreed to travel to France to be Governess to the children of the Duc de Sauterre. Jane cannot let her fiancee down - nor can she disappoint her new employer. But Arletta has a solution for them both. So that Jane is free to get married, Arletta will travel to the Duc's Dordogne Chateau posing as Jane!On arrival, she finds the Duc as surly and rude as he is handsome. Worse still he hates the English and she struggles to win him over while resisting the attentions of the Duc's dashing cousin the Comte, who is rumoured to be a murderer.And soon, despite herself, Arletta finds herself losing her heart to the haughty Frenchman who despises everything she stands for. And who, surely, can never feel anything for her but contempt.