In the Regency era, all the ballrooms and living rooms of London are strictly unwritten and inviolable rules: how to talk to an earl, what knyxen should be performed in front of a prince... A duke should be domineering and indifferent, and a young lady of marriageable age should be friendly, but not too much. Daphne Bridgerton, the fourth of eight descendants of a surprisingly friendly noble family, has a friendly character, in contrast to most of the swaggering young ladies of her age, so she easily finds a common language with almost all the upperclassmen of London. But Viscountess Bridgerton cannot wait for an interesting marriage proposal for her eldest daughter. Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, has recently returned from abroad and is trying to avoid social noise, and even going out into the world, because he has decided never to marry. He has personal motives for that, caused by a family drama. Meeting the sister of Anthony Bridgerton's best friend opens a different path for him. If Daphne agrees to their feigned courtship, Simon will be able to turn down the mothers of young ladies who are eager for the unmarried Duke's attention. Instead, Daphne will see new perspectives, and her reputation will skyrocket. Will this plan work if only one thing is true in the cruel, glittering, gossip-filled world of London's elite: love cannot be held back by rules.