Widow, Emily, Lady Fortesque, embarks on a quest to taste everything delightful and decadent, placing her in a position where she must remarry. Providence supplies a cousin, Sir Hugh Exton-Loyd, the original stick in the mud. How difficult could it be to twist him to her will? Sir Hugh considers Emily a brash and fickle a piece of work, but he requires a mother for his two, prank-playing boys. A chivalrous offer of marriage in Emily's hour of need might be the perfect lever to curb her unacceptable habits. How difficult could it be to harness an aging hoyden? Neither of them paid any heed to the old adage of how opposites attract.