With her mother gravely ill, Piper Baker's situation grows desperate in a world unfriendly to women. Time and money dwindle to naught, and marriage is Piper's lone option. Although potential suitors circle her skirts, none but Barrett Maddox, Duke of Manchester, captures her heart, after he saves her from a band of thieves. It is just her luck that the man Piper wants is the only one she cannot have.For wealthy, titled bachelor Barrett Maddox, the first rule in life is to avoid marriageable virgins, at all costs, and he has been successful thus far. That is, until he rescues the delectable, auburn-haired Piper Baker. For some unfathomable reason, or in a temporary fit of insanity, he agrees to broker a match for the unfortunate lady, in the target rich New York society. While he easily thwarts inept suitors, can Barrett keep his hands to himself?Entangled in a web they conspired to create, Piper and Barrett are left to wonder if there is anything more reckless than love.