Upon her husband's untimely death Elyssa of Freyne petitions England's court to avoid a third forced marriage and to gain custody of her frail son. Never again will a man control her life or her fate. But the shire's new sheriff is no ordinary man. Although Geoffrey FitzHenry, Lord Coudray owns the beauty of an angel--save for the scars his dead wife laid on him--it's said he's the Devil's own spawn. He proves his black heart when steals her frail son from her. To save her son she must reveal that she is with child and put herself in the sheriff's custody.Geoffrey FitzHenry curses the law that demands all pregnant widows live as the sheriff's ward until their babes are born. Taking this coppery-haired firebrand into his sphere threatens all he seeks to protect behind the rumors of his supposed evil nature.