It isn't easy making a living as a lady's companion when one possesses a sharp tongue and an original mind. That's why Emma Greyson has gone through three such positions in six months. Then an extraordinary encounter with the legendary Edison Stokes leads to a secret position as his assistant. Stokes is on a peculiar mission, searching for an anonymous thief who has stolen an ancient book of arcane potions. He suspects his quarry is among the party's guests - and that the villain is looking for an intuitive woman on whom to test a certain elixir. A woman just like Emma...

For Emma, the new post brings unexpected passion and chilling danger. But when murder strikes, she realises the awful truth. Unless she and Edison devise a scheme to outwit a merciless killer, she could forever lose the man of her dreams - and maybe her very life....