Desperate times call for desperate measures... Miss Georgie Holbrooke is in the most dire of circumstances. Her brother has arranged for her to marry a vile man, and she has no doubt that he will punish her severely if she refuses. When an opportunity to work at an orphanage in the rookeries arises, she takes it, knowing it may be her only chance to escape. William Cobbett, the Earl of Grenton, has settled comfortably into a general dislike for most people, especially since they always find a way to disappoint him in the end. But his life is upended when he meets the headmistress his solicitor hired to run his mother's orphanage. She defies him at every opportunity, makes outlandish suggestions, and even had the audacity to bring her own household staff! Stubbornness and desperation continually foil the pair as they navigate the pitfalls of what should be a straightforward relationship. Will the two of them ever come to an agreement?