Reclusive ex-spy Christopher ‘Kit’ Carlisle has barely left his country estate since his escape from wartime captivity, but a deathbed promise has forced him to London to seek out the beautiful—and frustratingly elusive—Emma Townsend.

Botanist Emma is back from Brazil, determined to keep her precious orchids alive long enough to present them to the Royal Society. For that she needs a hothouse, and the assistance of the one man who’s always made her heart beat faster: the broodingly handsome Kit.

When Kit reluctantly agrees to allow Emma—and her plants—to spend Christmas with him at his country estate, the attraction that simmers between them is hard to deny. In Emma’s company, grouchy Kit rediscovers the joy of being alive, while Emma can’t resist the impulse to make Kit smile again—or to steal his clothes while he’s bathing . . .