You can't teach an old dog new tricks, but what about his mistress? Henry Forster has loved only one woman his entire life. Sarah, a farmer's daughter, bore him a son when he was merely the nephew of the Earl of Gisborn. Despite Henry's numerous proposals, Sarah has refused to marry him, claiming he must seek a wife suitable to his rank. And now that he's inherited the earldom and needs a legitimate heir, he is determined to find a biddable wife but keep Sarah as his lover and his young son in his life.

Lady Hannah Slater, the daughter of the Marquess of Devonville, decided long ago that men have no regard for their wives and only ever love their mistresses. Husbands, she thinks, are for fathering children. Her large dog, Harold MacDuff can provide protection, but she wants desperately to have a child. So when the Earl of Gisborn offers for her hand, she readily accepts. When the earl doesn't bed her on their wedding night - he thought it inappropriate to take her virtue in her childhood bed - Hannah is upset and makes her displeasure known while the two are on their way to Oxfordshire. In an effort to appease her, Henry agrees to the proviso that he bed only Hannah until she is with child - then he can resume his relations with Sarah. He is unaware that his true love has set her sights on a different future -one that doesn't include him. It will take the antics and devotion of man's best friend to teach Henry and Hannah that sometimes love is right in front of your nose in The Seduction of the Earl.