An experienced widow teaches an innocent scholarly heir to a dukedom the forbidden art of love.
Serena Allbright was
married at the age of 15 to Matthew Riverton, a man old enough to be her father. Lord Riverton believed a wife should be trained to please her husband in all things including ‘bed work’. Serena learned her lessons well. Matthew was a cruel man with depraved tastes. After 10 long years of
marriage, Lord Riverton died of a heart attack. Serena’s greedy brothers claimed her widow’s inheritance and tried to arrange another marriage for her to a wealthy older man. In desperation, Serena runs away. A sudden storm forces her to take shelter at a small inn on the outskirts of London.
Francis Haile, heir to the Duke of Middlethorpe, knows that it is his duty to marry a suitable
young lady. All the young ladies of the aristocracy are eager to wed a wealthy young man with a title, but Francis wants to make a love match. When he stops to weather a storm at an inn on the outskirts of London, he meets Serena, a young woman who is clearly running away from something. She won’t confide in him; but he is determined to help her out of whatever difficulty she is involved in. Serena decides that the easiest way to avoid an unwanted marriage is to seduce the handsome young man stranded at the inn with her. Once he gets to London, Lord Middlethorpe intends to find a wife.
Fortunately, after her years with Matthew, Serena knows how to work fast.