Arthur Fairhurst is a terrible duke. Jumpy and nervous around others, he prefers hiding away in his Northumberland forest collecting, sketching, and researching all the wildlife he can find, trying to satiate his inexhaustible curiosity. So when his gamekeeper informs him of a gypsy girl and her dog hiding away in his woods, curiosity demands he find out everything he can about her before telling her to move on. Dressed as a plain woodsman, Arthur gains her trust little by little, and is surprised by the things the gypsy girl, Mara, brings out in him. Mara Boswell discovered long ago that she cannot depend on anyone but herself. Driven by tragedy, she has roamed here and there all around England, always on the move, running from those who would find her and hurt her once more. Thinking she has found a safe haven at last the dense forests of Northumberland, she is informed by a woodsman that she is trespassing, and not just on any lands, but a duke’s. Loath to move on again, she agrees to a bargain with the talk about her gypsy life in exchange for permission to stay in the forest unmolested. The opportunity is too good to pass up, and Mara begins to see that not everyone is out to do her harm. That certain people would love and protect her if she would only let them.