Widowed at twenty six, Lady Arabella Purfoy's only concern is for her precious young daughter. But when Queen Elizabeth I decrees that she must marry again, Belle is cast into a whirlwind of intrigue from which there is no escape. And no comfort, as she's never laid eyes on her mysterious, reclusive fiancé, who conducts all his business though his agent, the handsome Master James Wyatt. James is angry and suspicious of Belle, and as virtual master of the castle he determines to keep her away from his vulnerable lord. Only too late does he realize that the heart in danger is his own for Belle's quiet courage and pure spirit have cast their feminine spell over him, and he finds himself hopelessly, irrevocably, in love with his employer's wife...