The fairest flower in Mawbry is Erienne Fleming, the
enchanting, raven-haired daughter of the village mayor.
Charming, spirited and exquisitely lovely, she is beset on
all sides by suitors, any one of whom would pay a king's
fortune for a place in her heart. But Erienne has eyes for
only one: the dashing and witty young Yankee, Christopher
Seton.
But marriage for love is not to be, for her
irresponsible and unscrupulous father, crippled by
gambling debts, is intent on auctioning off his beautiful
daughter to the highest bidder. And in the end, Erienne is
devastated to find it is the strange and secretive Lord
Saxton who has purchased her—a mysterious, tragic figure
who wears a mask and a cloak at all times to hide
disfiguring scars gained in a terrible fire some years
back.
But in the passing days, Saxton's true nature is
revealed to her. A gentle and adoring soul, he treats his
new bride with warmth and abiding tenderness, yet appears
to her only by daylight. She, in turn, vows to be a good
and loyal wife to him. And then Christopher Seton reenters
Erienne's world Conflicted by emotions she cannot
suppress, Erienne valiantly attempts to remain honorable
to her elusive, enigmatic husband but feels herself
irresistibly drawn to Seton's passion, his fire, and his
secrets. Entangled in intrigues she doesn't yet
understand, Erienne Fleming will soon have to make a
devastating choice: between love and honor . . . between
her duty and her heart.