In a dazzling debut that whisks readers to misty nineteenth-century England -- and into the depths of a woman's heart -- Victoria Malvey spins a tale of passion, intrigue, longing, and trust...and of the unwavering power of true love's design.

On the night of his wedding to the fiery, auburn-haired Andrea, Lord Nicholas Leigh is called into service by his king. When he is taken captive and imprisoned on his mission, Andrea is left to fend for herself as mistress of Leighaven, their prized English estate. Courageously rising to the task, she struggles to restore the family fortune.

When Nicholas returns from prison, his wife is no longer the free-spirited, uncomplicated girl he remembered, but a bold, self-reliant woman who cannot hide her hard-won independence. While this new Andrea brings Nicholas' pent-up passions to explosive heights, their hearts are set on a collision course, locked in a furious battle for control and power. The lord and his lady must now begin an emotional journey in search of true intimacy, even as a treacherous plot threatens to destroy Nicholas -- and part husband and wife forever....