At the age of nine, Josephina Cochrane is mockingly dubbed the "Duchess" by her half-cousin, Marcus Wyndham. Little does Marcus suspect that the Duchess will one day reign sovereign over his own future. For the Earl of Chase, the Duchess's father and Marcus's uncle, leaves a double-edged inheritance, a legacy that will bind their fates.

When the Earl of Chase dies without a son, Marcus stands to inherit his fortune and title. But the old earl, bitter that Marcus escaped the tragedy that claimed the lives of his two sons, has laced his legacy with vengeful stipulations.

But there is another Wyndham legacy, one beyond the Earl of Chase's rank and holdings; a treasure from long ago that's shrouded in legend. Before the rival legacies can be settled, the Duchess and Marcus must solve two mysteries - one from the past and one that shadows the present.