Lord Benning is no ordinary nobleman. The heir to an earldom, he feels more at home working on the farm at his country estate than socializing in the ballrooms of London. So when a mysterious, veiled woman mistakes him for a farmhand, he takes the assumption in stride. And though he is not offended, he is intrigued.

Following a devastating outbreak of smallpox, Caroline Granger and her young daughter, Meg, retreat to Caroline's childhood home in the village of Leyfield in Gloucestershire. Left widowed and weakened by the ravages of the disease, Caroline wears a veil to hide her facial scars and to prevent the inevitable gasps of horror or murmurs of pity others offer in response to her altered appearance.

Caroline is mortified when she learns of her error in addressing Lord Benning—or Benedict, as she called him during their growing-up years—as a farmhand. But shared childhood memories and a precocious four-year-old inevitably draw Benedict and Caroline together, and it's not long before Caroline realizes that Benedict accepts every part of her—including her scars. With newfound courage and a growing love for Benedict, Caroline feels the first stirrings of hope. But when the disease that took so much from Caroline finds its way to Leyfield, she stands to lose more than she can bear, and Benedict must decide exactly how much he is willing to risk for a chance at love.

Aisley lost everything in a Viking attack. Now, working alongside the one man she trusts, she is ready to fight for her people—and for love.

Wessex, AD 878

Aisley's young life was changed forever when her father accompanied King Alfred into battle and lost his life in a deadly skirmish with the Vikings. Now, almost seven years later, the Vikings are once again rallying on Wessex's borders, and Aisley fears that her older brother may have treacherous plans to betray the king by aligning himself with the invading Norsemen. But when Aisley encounters a handsome nobleman in the market, she feels the first stirrings of hope. Though they met only once when Aisley was little more than a child, she recognizes him immediately as one of King Alfred's most trusted men.