Lord Maplethorpe is just about to reach his majority when his mother pays his older cousin, Max Ravenscar, a visit. It seems Maplethorpe has become completely enamored with a girl at one of the gaming houses, and means to marry her. Ravenscar is himself a noted gamesman, so quickly heads over to get a lay of the land.
Deb Grantham lives with her aunt, Lady Bellingham, who has gotten in a bit over her head trying to make ends meet. Their gaming house is a little less genteel than originally planned, but with a mortgage hanging over their heads, they have little choice but to continue on. When Ravenscar attempts to bribe Deb to leave Lord Maplethorpe alone, she’s so offended she vows to marry Maplethorpe just to annoy Ravenscar.
I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. Neither of the protagonists were actually particularly likeable, and their schemes were just ridiculously far-fetched. I did make to the end – there was just enough fun there to make me wonder how it would ultimately work out.