Lady Arabella Lucia Fairborne has no need for a husband. She has a fine inheritance for the taking, a perfectly capable mind, and a resolve as tough as nails. But what she doesn't have is the freedom to defy her cousin's will - and his will is to see her married immediately to the husband of his choosing. So is it any wonder that she dresses herself as a scullery maid and bolts into the night? Colin Somerville's current mission for the home office is going poorly. Who would have expected otherwise for a rakish spy tasked with transporting a baby to the care of the royal palace? But when Colin, injured and out of ideas, stumbles upon a beautiful maid who knows her way around a sickroom, it seems salvation has arrived?until he realizes that, although Lucy may be able to help him survive his expedition, he may not escape this ordeal with his heart intact.