Lord Julian Caldicott has come home from the war in ragged health and with a reputation in tatters. All he wants is to recuperate in private without bringing any further scandal on the family's name. His godmother inveigles him into serving as her escort to a rural house party, whereupon circumstances conspire to prevent Julius from resuming his reclusive existence. Julian becomes the subject of rumors, lies, and whispers, and soon he's faced with a choice: Wage one more battle for honor's sake, or be branded a traitor to all that he holds dear. He will enlist unlikely allies, face old demons,and vex every other guest on the premises, but he will not stop until he's brought a criminal to justice-or dies trying.