Luke, the new Viscount Enstone, has found it hard to sort out his late father's affairs after arriving home after selling out of the army. A dishonest secretary and ailing land agent have left the family estates in disorder. With new people in place he sets off to one of his smaller properties to discover the extent of an obligation that seems out of keeping with the cold-hearted father he remembers. Who is the young woman living at Shepley Hall and what was her connection to his father.

Miss Kitty Davenport has waited for a long time to find out if the new Viscount Enstone will continue the support his father gave to her family and her patience is wearing thin. Will he carry on paying for her young brother's education and even assist him in finding a career? For herself, all she needs is help to find suitable employment and to escape from the unwanted attentions of a persistent suitor.