Brandon St. John is a popular man around town, popular with the ladies and the gentlemen of the ton.  And if he only dallies with married ladies, no one is too offended except for the cuckolded husbands.  His brothers wake him one morning to let him know that their younger brother, Chase, is in trouble again.  He has even gone so far as to offer marriage to Lady Westforth, a member of the demimonde and certainly not marriage material for the likes of a St. John.  Because Brandon had not come to the family meeting, he has been elected to pay off the lady in question.  He reluctantly agrees.

Lady Verena Westforth is a widow with a less then stellar reputation because of a certain nobleman who is determined to keep her out of the ton.  To keep in funds, she must on occasion live by her wits with imaginative and less than honest card playing.  When Brandon arrives and offers her money to refuse his brother’s offer, she is insulted but takes the draft and agrees to his offer.  Little does he know that she has already refused Chase.  The strong-willed Verena decides to get back at Brandon and soon has the ton laughing at him.  In spite of the insults, both Brandon and Verena are attracted to each other.

When Verena’s brother, James, arrives from Italy and needs her help to find a certain list, they discover that both of their lives are in danger.   Through a mutual friend’s murder, Brandon also gets involved in finding the elusive list and an opportunity to spend more time with the beautiful Verena.