(ORIG 04/96)

Although she is titled and wealthy, Lady Katherine Steele finds widowhood leaves her powerless to protect those she loves. With her daughter, Kate flees London and the evil man who has been given control of her child and her fortune. The deserted property of her husband's late comrade-in-arms Lord Duncan MacLean, becomes her home. Posing as the Laird's widow, Kate ekes out an existence in the Scottish castle. Wounded and left to die in a French prison, Duncan MacLean escapes and returns to England, seeking revenge upon the man who betrayed him. Due to his "death" the Crown has claimed all of his properties save one. When he finds his castle occupied by a woman claiming to be his widow, he offers her a devil's bargain. Kate will become the wife she claims to be if she and her child wish to remain. Torn between safety from the demon who pursues them and the devil who demands her honor, Kate chooses to give the MacLean his due. Kate fails to reckon with her own desires.