After receiving a note that bore hurtful words from a suitor during the previous London season, wallflower Miss Lydia Fortescue fears her third season will be as disastrous as the previous two. Given the choice, she never set foot in town again. Her father, however, has grown tired of her spinster status and demands that either she find a husband or he will find one for her.

William Montgomery, seventh duke of Bennington, has been enthralled with Miss Fortescue since he first set eyes upon her. Last season, he spent hours compiling a love note for her, but judging from Miss Fortescue's silence, his words of admiration had failed to win her heart. William believes that this season, he will be able to convince the quiet yet intelligent woman to allow him to woo her.

When unexpected circumstances throw the pair together, Miss Fortesque begins to realize that William is not the brute she thought him to be. However, her timidity makes it difficult for her to accept that he is interested in more than the new business ventures her father has acquired.

Will the newly fashionable and scandalous dance, the waltz, help Lydia shed the timidity that has subdued her for most of her life? Will William convince the woman for whom he cares that his intentions are true?