Major Esmond Hays Redman does not let the dust settle on his feet when he returns to England after wearing the coat of a dragoon guard for six years. As his first stop, he heads to his friend, Sir Walter le Blond’s estate, who has issued him an open invitation to visit. In the coach, he meets Hester Child, a forthright young woman who, because the coach is full, dismisses her maid. The pair discover that they have the same destination, The Labyrinth. Esmond assumes a protector’s role to see Hester to their destination, though it is a journey she often takes to visit her sister, Lady le Blond. The coach ride affords a unique opportunity for a man and a woman to spend hours together to talk about more than the weather, and attraction blossoms by the time they arrive.

Esmond has no family in England, and while his friendship with Sir Walter induced him to come, the letters his friend sent about his beautiful cousin and ward, Celeste Grancourt, are also an incentive. Now that he is home, Esmond is determined to marry and create a family. He had dreamed of Celeste when he was sick and is curious if the fantasy matches the reality. As the Earl of Roestock, he must marry.

Hester’s relationship with her sister, Cassandra, and Sir Walter has been rocky since their marriage, but she traveled to The Labyrinth because Cassandra is experiencing melancholia after her baby’s birth. Walter can’t handle his wife’s inability to step into the role of motherhood, and Hester comes to help Cassandra throw off this strangling cloak of despair. She is surprised to learn that Sir Walter and Lady le Blond have planned a Christmas house party, and a dozen guests are expected. Sensible Hester is asked to work in the background, almost like a servant, while Sir Walter does everything he can to promote a match between his ward, Celeste, and his friend, Esmond. But the attraction formed during that coach ride isn’t to be denied.