Tristan Lark, Earl of Burley, is a lord with a plan. Hades' Lair, London's top gaming hell, is for sale, and Tristan intends to buy it. He even has an investor in mind: a foreign prince. Regrettably, this investor works solely with married men, viewing marriage as a sign of responsibility. The rule doesn't faze Tristan: he's hired an actress to play his wife at a Christmas gathering to impress the prince.

When the actress doesn't appear, Tristan is in trouble.

Confirmed bluestocking Irene Carmichael would rather study weather patterns than dress in fine gowns, but when her older brother's friend asks her for help, she agrees, even if it means sneaking into his manor house every night for a week to play his wife.

Unfortunately, neither of them had counted on the snow.