William Sinclair becomes Earl of Wellesbourne when he is eighteen following the deaths of his profligate father and brother. He marries then labors to restore the nearly bankrupted estate. Three years later, he suffers a devastating tragedy, leaving him emotionally scarred and determined to bury himself in his duties.

Katherine Garrett is the daughter of the late Dr Lucius Garrett, a noted archeologist and expert in Roman antiquities found in England. Frederick Blake, her father's colleague, covets the collection and Katherine. She escapes his advances, and begs the village magistrate for help. The magistrate refuses, preferring to believe the respectability Blake assumes. Because her father had spoken favorably of the Earl of Wellesbourne, Katherine decides to appeal to him. En route, she gets caught in a fierce storm. Lightening startles her horse, and she falls from his back, knocking herself senseless on the road.

While Wellesbourne travels home following Parliament's end, his coach stops suddenly. A young woman is lying senseless in the road. Though alive, her pulse is slow and her skin dangerously cold. Wellesbourne brings her to his manor where his servants and the neighborhood physician, tend her. Little does he realize how this young woman will shake him to his core and teach him it is possible to hope again.

Marjorie Gilbert is the author of two historical novels set in Georgian England. The first historical novel, The Return, was featured in discussion groups, as well as earned the author numerous requests to be a guest speaker at various book groups (including one in Australia). The author’s second novel, Lord Wellesbourne, received third prize in the Royal Ascot, a contest sponsored by the Beau Monde, a Regency-themed chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Marjorie Gilbert lives in Maine with her husband and two daughters.