Missing pearls, maudlin memories, and unexpected new perspectives will make this Christmastide a holiday no one will forget.
Mr. Cornelius Harding-Lord Timelbury-is a former military man who has lost the magic Christmastide used to possess due to unsavory memories. When a priceless pearl and diamond bracelet he procured as a gift for his aunt goes missing, the number one suspect is a woman who dropped by for donations. So until he can find the piece of jewelry, he has told her ailing father that they are engaged.
Miss Samantha Marchington is a woman at her wit's end, trying to make the Christmastide holidays special for the children at one of London's orphanages as well as raising funds therein. It's her favorite time of the year, but she's been run ragged and needs a break. When a handsome man with a commanding presence demands she return a stolen bracelet and then springs a fake engagement on her, she loses her temper, which helps nothing.
Though they might be enemies, Cornelius refuses to let Sam out of his sight until she confesses. They are forced to spend the days leading up to Christmastide together, and the forced proximity will spur potential scandal. Heated attraction is shared and brings with it a budding romance, but when the pair is bedeviled by a recurring evil scourge to the members of the Rogue's Arcade, danger threatens everything they might be building. Unless they can discover what truly matters during the holiday season, their Christmas might turn into a disaster for everyone.
