With his father dead and his mother in France, Patrick Leslie, Duke of Glenkirk, discovers that the obligations of the estate and its people are now his alone. But during a day of hunting, a chance meeting ensures that he will not be alone much longer, for to obtain the deserted castle and land adjoining his, Patrick must agree to take something else as well -- a bride.
The beautiful heiress he's to marry wants no man -- only her freedom. The independent Flanna Brodie is determined to champion the royal Stuarts' cause, and restore Charles II to the throne despite her husband's objections. Patrick knows the dangers of such political intrigues; that the Stuarts have always brought misfortune to the Leslies of Glenkirk, and that a roguish king will ask far more of the naive duchess than a simple vow of fealty -- forcing Patrick and Flanna to choose between the threat of wounded pride, and the promise of a lasting love both secretly yearn for.
