England, 1819. When the man she can't forget reappears at her betrothal ball, Lady Katherine Granville's perfectly arranged future is thrown into tumult. Although she's set to wed Society's most eligible bachelor, Kat secretly yearns for her childhood love, an untitled loner who vanished long ago after her father forbade their marriage.

After years abroad, the dark and brooding Edward Stanhope returns to England a changed man. No longer a second son with no prospects, his battlefield strategies have won him an earldom. His return should be a victorious one, but the new Earl of Randolph is battling secret demons that no one can discover. Least of all, Kat.

Edward remains cold and distant, hoping she'll marry a man more worthy of her. But nothing is settled when Kat sets out to win back her first love. Can Kat and the new Earl of Randolph find their way back to each other and finally prove love really is sweeter the second time around?