Once bitten, twice shy. Betrayed by his late first wife, Gallien will never give his heart to a woman again; however, he has a duty to remarry and sire heirs for the Montbryce earldom. Peridotte has long fancied herself married to a handsome Angevin nobleman. She fears the cold, arrogant Norman, to whom she finds herself betrothed, when political intrigue forces them into an arranged marriage. Afraid to admit their growing feelings for each other, they appear doomed to a life of resentment and unrequited love. But there’s a more insidious, hidden threat that could cost Peridotte her life.

Only lies can keep her children alive... Alexandre is a powerful Norman nobleman haunted by memories of a troubled past. He has sworn never to marry. Elayne is a Scottish noblewoman masquerading as the nursemaid of her own children, sent to Normandy by King David as good faith hostages. Neither she nor her children are who they purport to be and only lies can keep them alive. The struggle for the throne of England between Stephen and Maud in the 12th century provides the historical backdrop for this story.