A Marquess on a mission to secure a piece of land and the stubborn widow who owns it find themselves battling wills and surrendering to passion in this lively historical romance. After conventional means fail, Sebastian, Marquess of St. Just, takes reckless measures to secure the crumbling monstrosity known as Trembledown - a haven for local smugglers and moonlighting spies. He plans to scare, not seduce, its owner, but when a midnight encounter leaves them soaked, stranded, and possessing just one blanket for warmth, Sebastian, a.k.a. Robert the Brute, discovers that the widow Violet Treacher is not only wilful and unafraid, she is maddeningly desirable...Though the wilds of Cornwall hold no allure, Violet won't give the arrogant Marquess the satisfaction of a sale, so here she shivers, in a wreck of a house, with lips still burning from the passion of a masked smuggler. She knows he's near - for her own bit of real estate is quite the magnet for secrets, danger, even treachery. But how will she recognize the gentleman by day...with only the memory of his kiss in the dark?