Born to a royal family, Prince Nicolai has grown up with the knowledge that he will be heir to the throne and to his people's hearts. Having suffered the early and painful death of his first wife, the young prince agrees to an arranged marriage to fulfill an ancient statute that the heir be married by his twenty-sixth birthday.

He and his new bride, Shelby, live together as strangers for many weeks, but in time the prince draws closer to her. Yet it never occurs to Shelby, a commoner who married for the sake of her country but who secretly loves him deeply, that the prince's affection could truly turn toward her. By the time he comes to love her, she has walled off her heart to protect herself, and he must tenderly scale that wall.

This moving story of surprising love awakened by committed faithfulness belongs on the shelf of every reader who loves Lori's writing.