Contented, privileged, and eligible until a carriage accident hurls him to the cobbled street, John Angsley, Earl of Cambrey, awakens to broken bones and a battered head. Can it get worse? Opium, which eases his pain at first, brings suffering of its own, creating Lord Anguish, who must choose between the lure of laudanum and the woman he loves.

Miss Margaret Blackwood is the jammiest bit of jam and all John has ever wanted in a woman. Unfortunately, it's clear from the start she's too young and too fickle to make him a good wife, especially with rival suitors cropping up at every turn.

Maggie's decided the Earl of Cambrey's the man for her, if only a few irritating matters don't get in her way - like his two casts, a half-missing eyebrow, and a practically perfect "other" woman. But when she discovers the true insidious rival for his affection, the battle begins in earnest.

With the earl changing before her eyes from a thoughtful, kind man into a sneaky, irritable liar desperate for his next dose, Maggie may have to concede defeat and return to her many admirers. Will Lord Anguish choose the blissful relief of opium or the unpredictable passion of the dazzling Miss Blackwood?