Faced with the prospect of becoming a servant in her step-brother's house after the death of her mother, Jane Evans strikes out on her own, becoming the companion of Lady Minerva McAllister, aunt of the notorious Earl of Briarcliff, rumored to be a bluebeard after the mysterious deaths of his first two wives. Though Jane, secretly the author of books lampooning London Society, intends to use the Earl as the subject of her next book, she finds herself falling under his brooding spell when she and Lady Minerva go to visit Briarcliff Castle. As the attraction between Jane and the enigmatic earl grows, both are in danger from an unscrupulous man who will stop at nothing to destroy the earl and claim Briarcliff and the title for his own and a spurned woman determined to regain her place as Countess of Briarcliff.