But Miss Elizabeth Harewood is now the Countess of Somerton, estranged wife of one of England's most brutal and depraved aristocrats, and she can't afford the slightest hint of scandal to her name. When Roland turns up mysteriously at the castle where she's hidden herself away, she struggles to act as a lady should, but the gallant lover of her youth has grown into an irresistibly dashing and dangerous man, and temptation is only a single kiss away...

Disinherited and disgraced, Reginald Davenport's prospects cried for a dire end. But fate has given him one last chance at redemption--by taking his rightful place as the heir of Strickland, his lost ancestral estate. Davenport knows his way around women, yet nothing prepares him for his shocking encounter with Lady Alys Weston.

Masquerading as a man in order to obtain a position as estate manager of Strickland, Alys fled a world filled with mistrust and betrayal. She was finished with men--until Strickland's restored owner awakens a passion she thought she would never feel. A passion that will doom or save them both.  .  .if only they can overcome their pasts.  .  .

"An enduring classic.  .  .a towering landmark in romantic fiction that is quite simply the very best of the best." --Romantic Times

"No one writes historical romance better." --Cathy Maxwell

I hate him with every fiber of my being.

The only reason I haven't killed him or tried to run away is because of the promise I made. I sold myself to save someone I loved...and this is the price I have to pay.

I was sitting alone in a bar when the most handsome man walked inside. Striking blue eyes, cheekbones as sharp as glass, and a muscular body fit for a war. He was gorgeous. I couldn't take my eyes off him. When he bought me a drink, I didn't say no. I'd been unfulfilled for so long, and I wanted a real man for the night. My husband had his affairs so why couldn't I?

I noticed the peculiar ring on his right hand, a diamond carved into a skull. If only I'd known what that meant, I would have known who this man was.

The Skull King.

A man more cruel and ruthless than my own husband.

He doesn't need to say it back. I know how he feels.

Even if he doesn't have the balls to admit it.

Our daughter will be here soon, and our lives will change forever.

Will Cato let go of the past? Let go of the promise he made to execute me?

Or should I have never come back?