Edward Marlowe, 5th Duke of Lockwood, has struggled to put his time in the war behind him. Tired of hiding within the halls of the Rogue's Arcade club, when he attends a society event with the intention of perhaps charming a lady into his bed, he's caught off guard as a petite beauty in a hurry, plows into him, tumbling them both to the floor, seconds before she begs for his help.

When Miss Juliet Gillingham finds a diamond brooch the size of a pigeon's egg in a hollowed-out book at her father's book shop, she's curious. Though her mind spins a few tales about its origin, three days later, she's branded as a brazen jewel thief in the papers. She didn't commit the crime, and she certainly won't pay the penalty, especially if she can enlist the assistance of a handsome war hero who happens to be a duke... and a former thief himself.

They attempt to discover the rightful owner of the bauble while dodging the mysterious party who wants it-and them dead. With desire simmering between them, they're forced to keep to the shadows throughout London in order to evade detection and danger. Only by taunting the original thief by bringing the diamond into the open will they have a chance at removing themselves from scandal, but by then, even love might not be able to save them.