Alinor Devaux, is beautiful and very rich. She is also an orphan, but her grandparents had not left her defenseless. She has been trained to manage her estates and to rule her vassals. But then the old king dies and Alinor becomes the ward of Richard Coeur de Lion. Alinor knows that her safety and the well-being of her precious lands rests on her ability to make her warden, Sir Simon Lemagne, her willing slave. Sir Simon has known many women, but never one like Alinor. He is an easy victim. But Alinor tumbles into love. Soon Sir Simon is the only man she will take as a husband. But Simon is no suitable match—he is poor and has no political power. The king would make no profit by permitting Simon to marry Alinor. In their struggle to be united despite the obstacles in their path, Lady Alinor and Sir Simon are swept from the Royal Court in England into King Richard’s Crusade, through the king’s conquest of Cyprus and into the Holy Land. They endure bloody battles and heartrending separations before Simon convinces King Richard to allow their love fruition in marriage.