London’s beady-eyed matchmakers are happy to overlook Sebastian Traherne’s ostentatious lack of character. He is the Season’s most eligible—and elusive—bachelor, with wealth, dazzling good lucks and, above all, a dukedom.
To one and all, Sebastian appears to be a superficial fop. No one guesses he’s an obsessively rational fellow hiding a secret marriage to protect someone he holds dear.
When London becomes a shade uncomfortable—a manipulating spymaster is closing in—Sebastian finally decides to see the long-neglected estate he inherited in the wilds of Cheshire, near Wales.
On the desolate moor, he rescues a scrawny lad set upon by thugs. After the youth claims to be a relative, Sebastian takes him to his new castle. Alas, it turns out to be a very old castle—a crumbling pile of stones, in fact—with fearsome gargoyles, lethal medieval weapons, and a staff of exactly two.
To make matters worse, the lad isn’t a boy but a prickly Welsh miss of twenty-five, who has journeyed from the island of Anglesey in search of the father she never knew.
Gwynna Owen is descended from a long line of Welsh revolutionaries. She might be the last true Princess of Wales, but she needs this very English duke to claim her legacy and vanquish a tyrant. She must plead her case with only a rusty dagger—and sapphire eyes that conjure the temptation Sebastian most wishes to avoid.
Off they go to Anglesey, where Sebastian means to disprove her tale. Instead, he finds himself captivated by a whimsical world of fanciful legends, ancient ruins, endless skies, and colorful characters—not to mention the red-haired Gwynna, whose archery skills rival that of Robin Hood.
Worse, Gwynna believes in a silly fairy tale known as True Love.
To one and all, Sebastian appears to be a superficial fop. No one guesses he’s an obsessively rational fellow hiding a secret marriage to protect someone he holds dear.
When London becomes a shade uncomfortable—a manipulating spymaster is closing in—Sebastian finally decides to see the long-neglected estate he inherited in the wilds of Cheshire, near Wales.
On the desolate moor, he rescues a scrawny lad set upon by thugs. After the youth claims to be a relative, Sebastian takes him to his new castle. Alas, it turns out to be a very old castle—a crumbling pile of stones, in fact—with fearsome gargoyles, lethal medieval weapons, and a staff of exactly two.
To make matters worse, the lad isn’t a boy but a prickly Welsh miss of twenty-five, who has journeyed from the island of Anglesey in search of the father she never knew.
Gwynna Owen is descended from a long line of Welsh revolutionaries. She might be the last true Princess of Wales, but she needs this very English duke to claim her legacy and vanquish a tyrant. She must plead her case with only a rusty dagger—and sapphire eyes that conjure the temptation Sebastian most wishes to avoid.
Off they go to Anglesey, where Sebastian means to disprove her tale. Instead, he finds himself captivated by a whimsical world of fanciful legends, ancient ruins, endless skies, and colorful characters—not to mention the red-haired Gwynna, whose archery skills rival that of Robin Hood.
Worse, Gwynna believes in a silly fairy tale known as True Love.