On the eve of her 19th birthday, the vivacious Caroline Derwent-Jones looks forward to being free of her oafish guardian, Mr. Ffalkes. But Mr. Ffalkes has other plans for Caroline and her inheritance, so Caroline must escape.

In her flight, Caroline encounters Lord Chilton of Mount Hawke, Frederic North Nightingale, and finds herself tangled in mystery and romance. And amid murder, enigmatic secrets, and a long standing tradition of no women at Mount Hawke, Lord Chilton discovers his desire for Caroline.