What can a man who is living a lie honorably offer to the woman he loves? How can a lady betrayed learn to trust a man of secrets? Employed to investigate the harassment of the wife of an elderly viscount, sword master Jared Hunt finds persecution turning to murder and his professional detachment transforming into desire for the lovely young widow he must now protect. The attraction is mutual, but Guinevere senses that her protector is both suspicious of her own murky past and hiding secrets of his own. When the trail of the killer leads them to Yorkshire Jared has to confront the treachery and lies that drove him from his home and together with Guinevere solve both the mystery that entangles them and the dilemma of their feelings for each other.