Silence is his only defense. But no truth escapes his lady's whip. A Jane Austen Space Opera, Book 2 Lady Violet Blackmyre, the daring "Black Duchess" of the Queen's Light Dragoons, never thought she'd die a slow, miserable death. Yet only days after being named Field Marshal of the Britannian Army, she's been diagnosed with consumption. Giving Cole, her devoted stable hand and "pony," his freedom is as easy as removing his collar. Convincing him to seek another mistress will be impossible should he learn of her condition. At all costs, she must spare him the pain of witnessing her demise. Cole will not be pushed away so easily. When he stumbles across a magnificent "stallion" being abused at an illegal human auction, he is sure this wild, untamed brute is the challenge that will re-engage his mistress's interest. Arthur is desperate to return to the Iberian front, but betrayal and relentless torture have left him unable to trust himself with a weapon, much less lead soldiers into battle. What's more, Lady Blackmyre's dreadful secret is becoming more obvious by the day...and the scourge tearing at her lungs may not be natural at all. Warning: Ladies in positions of power and technological advances invented by the infamous Lady Doctor Wyre. A menage a trois featuring a brute of a stallion, a mischievous pony, and the Mistress with the will (and the whip) to tame them both.