An illegitimate daughter of the Russian Czar, Amber Kazanov knows time is running out. Her stunning beauty has made her prey to nefarious schemers, and she flees to England to find a husband before her uncle can sell her to the highest bidder. Here, she is introduced to the one gentleman who might help her. But Miles Montgomery is a man laid low by life's cruelty, a man who has given up on love and happiness. Fortunately, Amber has not given up on him. Shrouded in darkness and tragedy, Miles Montgomery, the Earl of Stratford, bears the emotional and physical scars of the fire that killed his wife and shattered his world. Despite himself, he is intrigued by this exquisite beauty, and he asks her to remain as his houseguest. Yet he fights the attraction he feels, masking his deep longing behind harsh words and cold difference...until a glorious night of passion seals his fate. And when a shocking turn of events threatens to steal Amber from him forever, he must choose either to dwell in the past or to embrace the future-before it's too late.