Penny Bradford is all atwitter to begin service in one of the great households of England. Duke Rorke Carteret is known throughout the Midlands as a nobleman of generosity, power, and passion. Grateful for the steady work, she gets the added benefit of daydreaming about the handsome duke sweeping her off her feet like in the fairy tales.
Life is no fairy tale. And yet she still manages to catch the domineering duke's eye. He happily engages his new maid in his parlor games, and she finds the duke is very hands-on in training the new staff. Penny will be polishing more than just the duke's silver by the end of her first week in the Carteret household and will learn to obey orders precisely when instructed to.