With the death of her brother Harold, Sarah Linwood is the last of the Linwood family left alive. Her widowed sister-in-law is less than sympathetic and gives Sarah one week after the funeral to move out. Unmarried and without family, Sarah pleads her case to the enigmatic Lord Rufus of Rosehorn Hall.

The once-noble Linwoods have been connected with Rosehorn Hall for centuries. During the Wars of the Roses, Sir Linwood saved Lord Rufus on the battlefield and Lord Rufus promised that their families would be forever intertwined. Unfortunately, a strange illness befell Lord Rufus and his family shortly afterwards, and Sir Linwood heard nothing more from Rosehorn Hall.

However, over the centuries, the Linwood family has found that Lord Rufus' legacy lives on: outstanding debts have been paid by accounts with the name "Rufus," flowers are sent to Linwood funerals with the return address of Rosehorn Hall, and somehow packages containing just what you need mysteriously arrive on the porch with a note reading OUR DEBT IS NOT YET PAID.

Sarah hopes for a position at Rosehorn Hall to help her get by. Lord Rufus will give her something much, much more.