Lord John, the earl of Farleigh--his giant frame scarred by battles fought as a mercenary knight--returns home to England to claim his unexpected inheritance. But now he must battle against the wicked baron Elwood of Eye and a woman with an inner strength to match his own who dares to love him. Lady Gwyneth--her willfulness and deceit borne not of treachery--determines to wed the new earl in her sister's stead. Expecting nothing but cruelty at her husband's hand, she is surprised to find herself the recipient of that which she has so often given but never received: love. But Gwyneth has dark secrets that will inevitably be revealed, secrets that will test the strength of their love.