Colonel Lionel O’Toole’s life takes an unexpected turn when he receives an urgent message from the earl his grandfather. Reluctantly leaving his men in Portugal, he makes the long journey back to England and County Durham.

Nothing will stop Lion from returning to his duty. Not the abducted heiress he rescues and makes his wife, nor old secrets that radically change his place in the earl’s family, nor the ill health of his grandfather.

The invasion of Spain is imminent, and he must be there to lead his men.

Kidnapped from York by a fortune hunter favoured by her father, Dorothea Brabant is locked up in an inn bedchamber and threatened with rape. She hits the villain over the head with a chamber pot and escapes, but her future looks grim. Home to her father and her unwanted suitor, or alone and penniless in north-east England, where everyone is a stranger.

Then her hiding place is discovered by a handsome officer. Dorothea is soon married. Deeply in love with her new husband, she follows him to Portugal.

Their happiness is short lived. As Lion and the army prepare for war, someone is selling secrets to the French, and it must be someone in Lion’s inner circle. Meanwhile, someone is spreading vile rumours about his wife, and Lion is starting to believe them.

Will their love endure, or will deceit and betrayal tear them apart? Find out in this gripping tale of adventure, romance, and suspense.