To unite their clans, Kara Gordon is bound by a marriage contract to the McKie family. So when her intended husband dies in a bloody mountain skirmish, she is forced to marry his heir and younger brother, Henry, a mere twelve-year-old boy. Trapped by fate, Kara fears their union-and its consummation. Much to her relief, the new earl is more in need of a mother's care than a lover's touch. Yet one man longs for Kara's caress-Henry's advisor and protector, his half-brother Ian. His attraction to Kara inflames into a scandalous desire that puts them both in great danger as forces both outside and inside the castle are lying in wait to remove Henry from the throne-by any means necessary. But for Kara, who has never once known the love of another, her feelings cannot be denied. And only Ian's undying devotion will embolden her to face a future fraught with intrigue-one that may destroy everyone she holds closest to her heart.