Captain Nicholas Bonham of Wellington's Peninsular Regiment, the 52nd Light Infantry, returns from fighting the Napoleonic wars to see his brother laid to rest. A skilled rider, George's death remains a mystery, as does the parlous state of his finances. Debenham Park must be sold unless Nicholas can find a swift solution.George's former fiancée, Miss Caroline Mirrington, harbors a secret. She has trusted no man except her father and George and now considers her future to be a desolate one. When her father proposes that Caroline marries Nicholas, she is filled with dread. Nicholas, now the Earl of Debenham, is nothing like his amiable brother.She wonders how their lives together could possibly bring happiness. He would demand far more from her than she could give.The search for answers to George's death brings Nicholas and Caroline together and forces Caroline to face her past. But danger lurks.