josce fitzbaldwin holds the sheriff of knabwell responsible for the death of his lord father and his two young stepsisters he intends to shed the sheriffs blood to avenge them instead the noble bastard finds himself enmeshed in a tangled web of deceit and betrayal where thieves dont empty purses of their gold but slaughter innocent children the last thing he expects is to lose his heart to the sheriffs honest daughter or to beg her aid in securing the vengeance he so craveselianne du hommet the destitute sheriffs useless third daughter has no future she is doomed to a life as her fathers unpaid servant and his hapless pawn in his hopeless moneymaking schemes then a slain noblemans bastard son rides through her gate threatening to kill her father while offering elianne the chance to know just once the joy of a mans touch she cannot resist even though what he wants from her will result in her complete destruction