Miss Celine Fairweather's life was bobbing along like a boat on a tranquil stream when a summons from her beloved sister Penelope Radclyff, the Duchess of Blackthorne, changed it all. Celine hurtles off to the London to help the duchess run the Blackthorne Mansion and to discover the whereabouts of her lost love Philbert Woodbead. Celine manages to keep things deathly dull and under control for a whole week until she enlists the help of the handsome Lord Elmer-a mischievous rogue, an ex-pirate, and an incorrigible flirt who is wanted dead by all of England's husbands with attractive wives. They scurry from one giddy escapade to another seeking Philbert in musty inns and dusty streets, and through it all Celine tries to keep her bonnet straight, her gloves spotless and her heart in tune with her head. Life has suddenly turned exciting, and love has well and truly bitten her rosy buttocks. Now the only question is ... who has done the biting?