The man who has been brought to Gemma's home to recover from wounds suffered at the hands of the English is not like any man she has ever known—cold and dark, as stormy as the windswept sea. But Gemma pretends to pays him no mind, waiting on her long-lost love to return. This man will leave, and with him the strange fascination she entertains to know more of him.



Declan recovers slowly at Gemma's home, sour and now bitter, his scars deep. Gemma is no more than an enchanting, out-of-bounds figure, coming and going, having little to do with his direct care—until her father proposes they wed. Declan refuses outright; a bride and wife can no longer be part of his future. But then he kisses her, surprising both of them, and decides he will not leave without her.



Enraged, Gemma refuses, telling him her heart belongs to another but Declan will not listen. They depart for Windshire, with Gemma declining to play any part, either as wife or as chatelaine to his stormy castle on the coast. But she is drawn to life at Windshire. And she's beginning to imagine that her husband is not quite as icy and aloof as he would have her believe—or as she would like him to be.



Contains mature themes.