By all accounts, Simon Basset is on the verge of proposing to his best friend?s
sister, the lovely ? and almost-on-the-shelf ? Daphne Bridgerton. But the two of
them know the truth ? it?s all an elaborate plan to keep Simon free from
marriage-minded society mothers. And as for Daphne, surely she will attract some
worthy suitors now that it seems a duke has declared her desirable . . .Their
ruse works like a charm ? at first. But as Daphne waltzes across ballroom after
ballroom with Simon, it?s hard to remember that their courtship is a complete
sham. Maybe it?s his devilish smile, certainly it?s the way his eyes seem to
burn every time he looks at her. It wasn?t the plan, but it seems she?s falling
for the duke, for real. And amidst the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of
London?s elite, there is only one certainty: love ignores every rule . . .