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.
