When Lady Gracila Shering uncovers the truth that the Duke, to whom she is promised, has given his heart to her own stepmother, she knows only one course remains. To save herself from a marriage too dreadful to endure, she must disappear without a trace. Her flight leads her to the quiet protection of a faithful retainer now in service to the infamous Virgil, Lord Damien. At Barons' Hall she hopes to remain hidden, until unexpectedly the master himself returns. Once celebrated, now shunned by society and hardened by scandal, Lord Damien is a man who trusts neither the world nor the bitterness of his own heart. Yet in a twist of fate, a chance meeting beneath woodland boughs awakens a tenderness neither dared hope for. But in a world governed by reputation and rigid propriety, such love is forbidden. Will an act of great courage allow them to be together, or will they forever be apart? All is told in this romantic story of courage, forgiveness and the healing power of love.