When Power and Desire Ruled Men's Hearts... In the turbulent age when hearts knew no surrender, willful King Henry III waged a scheming war, setting the lords of England and France in bloody opposition. Within this raging conflict, two indomitable hearts would cling to an eternal passion... Lady Barbara Bigod—The determined and beautiful daughter of an English earl, she struggled to keep peace within her divided family—and secretly yearned for the man who sparked her first hidden passions... Alphonse d'Aix—The reputed bastard son of a French lord, he had to risk his life—and prove his honor—to win the heart of the fiery Lady Barbara... The passions of youth sparked their first desire, but their bond would endure—for Lady Barbara held dear a token of her lover's eternal devotion: a silver mirror, a symbol of victory and a reflection of love that would withstand the trials of war and the winds of change...