During his visit, Phin also reunites with his old childhood friend, Alyse Donnelly, who has endured a family tragedy and personal scandal, which left her a virtual servant to her aunt and cousin. Caught in her own Cinderella story, Alyse needs her personal Prince Charming to rescue her, and the dangerously seductive Phin seems to be more than willing... or is he merely entertaining himself before going back to his military duties?

Complicating the situation is a daring highwayman who holds up stagecoaches and frightens the occupants with his angry demands in French. Although Phin dons this disguise as a means of gathering clues about his estate, Alyse finds the "Frenchman" strangely intriguing and finds herself conflicted about her loyalties to her old friend, the highwayman, and her cousin.

Although a riveting read, Before the Scandal lacks some of the important details romance readers crave. Limited physical descriptions of the two lovers leave much to the imagination, and although the intimate scenes are quite explicit, they lack significant sexual tension. How Phin and Alyse evolve from friends into lovers gets pushed aside to accommodate the antics of the highwayman and mystery on the estate.