"A courtesan needs to be practical and clever and cold-hearted. There is nothing of romance in it, or if there is, then it is very fleeting and must be supressed." —Madame Aphrodite

The boldest, most unconventional of the three Greentree sisters, Marietta believes her best course would be to emulate her natural mother, the notorious courtesan Madame Aphrodite. Being woefully unschooled in the ways of passion, however, Marietta, at Aphrodite's insistence, must first prove herself by properly seducing one man: Max Valland, the moody, disgraced, and disinherited former Lord Roseby.

With his life and reputation already in tatters, Max is most willing to help the exquisite young minx practice her chosen craft—though he is surprised at the depth of his desire...and by her most unprofessional tenderness. But Marietta's plans are threatened by the dangerous mysteries swirling around this disarmingly sensual gentleman . . . and by a heart that urges her to break the courtesan's cardinal rule: never fall in love.