When her mistress is put out of her childhood home, Kat goes too. She may be only Miss Ellen’s maid, but she has a plan to secure a future for them both. But first, she needs to give Miss Ellen a male escort, for propriety’s sake. Kat herself, dressed as a footman, complete with a fine pair of boots.

Jake has been looking after his employer since they both came home for the war. The captain drinks too much and gambles too much. And now he has come to the attention of the Black Widow of Whitehall. Could a wife be in the offing? Perhaps a wife is just what the captain needs.

But, while the captain is happy with the lady Mrs. Dove Lyon has chosen, Jake has discovered that the lady conceals a secret that could destroy everything. The Lady of Carr Abbass cannot possibly be who she says she is.