Eloise has done her best to play the dutiful stepdaughter, taking on the work of her departed mother and running the household and looking after her useless stepbrothers. However, when her stepfather announces she'll be married before summer—to a man she's never met—she's determined to fight it.

Charles, the newly minted Earl of Marlton, always knew he'd be married within months of inheriting the title. Having returned home from his studies in France, he was prepared to be the dutiful heir and take on everything that being an earl entailed—including marrying a wealthy, attractive, well-bred woman. Lord Fairfax has promised his stepdaughter was just that. He's fully prepared to wed the woman he's never met by summer.

Until he meets her that is. Eloise is nothing like the poised, elegant and controlled woman he thought she'd be. Beautiful, yes, even with a parrot sitting on her shoulder, but hardly marchioness material. Perhaps he could consider himself a little intrigued by her but he cannot seem to get close enough to her to find out more, especially when she keeps running off goodness knows where.

Can he persuade her he's more than a stuffy lord, interested only in her wealth? And does he really want to compete with a menagerie of animals? All he knows is the more time he spends with her, the more he's convinced it might well be worth it.