Athena was always considered to be too intelligent for her own good. Her grandmother would like nothing more than to pull Athena's nose out of those useless books and marry her off to the first eligible bachelor around. When they arrive in London to fulfill the grandmother's plan of transforming Athena from a pauper to a princess, they are both in for a surprise: the only man Athena has eyes for is a man she loathes. After she shamelessly offends the Duke, Athena wants nothing more than to repair the damage of their first meeting. But the Duke has already begun his campaign of slander against the ugly ducking. Soon Athena realizes she has blossomed into a swan. Will the belligerent Duke acknowledge her newfound beauty and the burning desire inside him or will he destroy her only chance of marriage?