Araminta Jewell is one of the beauties of her day; a witty, resourceful, dazzling young lady who manages to resist all the blandishments that come her way. Even her marriage to the staid and ugly Sir Martin Culthorpe has not tamed the rakes of London; for them she has assumed almost iconic status. So much so, that the first man belonging to the Society for the Capture of Aramintas Maidenhood who beds her stands to win a sizeable prize from the clubs contributions.

It is during her first sitting for a portrait painted by the fashionable French artist Jean-Paul Villemot that the architect Christopher Redmayne meets the lovely Lady Culthorpe, although he ahs heard much about her through his brother Henry, one of her most ardent pursuers.

Before the portrait can be finished and revealed, however, Sir Martin is murdered. Joining forces with Henry and his friend constable John Bale, Christopher is soon inundated with suspects. Was Sir Martin killed for his shady business dealings or for the exquisite prize of his wife?