Matthew Bixby despises social politics. Good manners and small talk weren’t prized in the slums, and despite having freed himself and his family of their poverty, Matthew never saw a need for such frivolous things. Until now.

A war between the masters and workers is brewing, and if Matthew isn’t careful, it will destroy everything he’s built. But with so much of the battle being waged in ballrooms and parlors, he needs someone who can help him navigate society without adding to his burdens—a wife who won’t expect anything more than a partnership.

If only he had the time to find one…

A spinster knows better than to hope for more than a comfortable home, but a marriage of convenience to a stranger is another thing altogether. Especially when the groom sends his man of business to procure a bride because he cannot bother to do so himself. But Charlotte Fordyce-Whittaker is no fool, and her prospective groom’s offer is a good one—if she can fulfill his marital requirements.

Surely, it won’t be difficult to overcome her wallflower tendencies. Will it?

A mutually beneficial arrangement. That seems simple enough. But with the workers rising up, the masters at each other’s throats, and a mountain of lies standing between them, Matthew and Charlotte discover happiness requires more than saying, “I do.”