Why does the powerfully built, golden-haired, Lord St. Cleve dress like an overdone Dandy? His outlandish wardrobe belies the hard unyielding lines of his face. Whoever he is, he's ruining Elizabeth Hampton's desperate scheme to secure a rich husband. Terribly vexing, to arrive at the most fashionable Breakfast Party of the Season wearing a perfectly stunning Chinese silk gown, only to discover Lord St. Cleve clad in unmentionables cut from identical cloth.

Lord St. Cleve despises pretension of any kind. He cannot abide the self-important airs put on by some members of the Ton. He takes wicked pleasure in making a mockery of Brummell's fashion strictures. Conceited frauds! Hadn't his grandfather's snobbery made his mother's life a misery? Maddening to discover the one woman who captures his interest is the biggest pretender of all! He vows to teach Miss Elizabeth Hampton a lesson she won't soon forget.