Beautiful Lady Katherine Steele was in desperate flight from the loathsome lord who threatened even more than her virtue after her husband's death. Her only refuge was a castle deep in the heart of Scotland; her only safety lay in disguising herself as the widow of Lord Duncan MacLean, whose death in far-off battle left the castle without a master.

But Duncan MacLean was not dead. The devilishly handsome earl was very much alive--and his return to his ancestral home put Katherine at the mercy of a man who showed none. MacLean would let her stay in this safe haven only if she played the part of the wife that she had pretended to be, and he made clear she had to play that part in every way. Katherine was torn between fear of the horrific evil that pursued her, and dread not only of MacLean's shameless desires but her own as well.