Nicola found he was a law unto himself. She had agreed to masquerade as his prospective bride to help her young friend escape. She was appalled that arranged marriages still existed. But Luis Alvarado de Montalba was not a man to be crossed. "You forced your way into my life, " he informed her when he discovered the deception, "and now you will remain in it. " While she conceded he was entitled to his anger, it was her life and future he had taken under control. And he simply ignored her protests.