When orphaned heiress Olivia de Vere is thrown out of a young ladies' academy, she doubts she'll ever find someone who will love her and not her bank account. To make matters worse, her cousin Felix is determined to marry her. A virtual prisoner in her guardians' townhouse, Olivia develops a tendre for her neighbour, a handsome Scottish marquess. Hamish MacQueen, Lord Sleat, has braved many dangers in life. But nothing has prepared him for the shock of having a child dumped on his doorstep, with a note claiming she s his daughter. Just in the nick of time his neighbour appears, offering to act as a nursemaid for the girl on their journey to his estate in Scotland.