The first book in the American Beauties trilogy.
Skip Brighton Wall Street financier and former blockade runner takes a tour of Europe with his daughter Ann and her four friends. His reasons for this trip are twofold, he has business interests abroad in the family shipping line and suspicious things are occurring, and secondly he wants to find Ann a noble English husband. Ann has been recently jilted by her financee and needs the diversion, she has no intentions of marrying anyone but wants to see the English thoroughbreds.
The first stop on the tour is in Ireland and the Irish Grand National Horse Show. While in the stables Ann feels the sensation of being watched and hears the sound of a limping man. She then meets a handsome and witty man who she thinks is a stablehand. Ann is thrown into the social whirl but cannot find anyone as charming as her stablehand. Coming home from a late ride one night Ann's horse looses a shoe and she must walk home. She has the sensation of being watched again and just when she starts to panic her stablehand appears. He takes her home and reveals to her that he is none other than Rhys Kendall the Duke of Carlton, the Brighton family's head.
Rhys finds himself incredibly attracted to Ann but doesn't want her to think he wants her for her money, which he needs because of many failed business ventures. Ann makes Rhys a deal , she will loan him money from her trust if he will pose as her intended to satisfy her father. Rhys agrees only if Ann will take a portion of the profit, he also wants to keep an eye on her someone may be out to hurt her. Rhys save Ann from a boating accident and a fire and they are more certain than ever someone is trying to kill Ann. Skip is suddenly missing and Ann and Rhys follow clues to track him down, growing closer and closer.
