"Hereward is dead."

His estranged wife, Torfrida, doesn't believe it. Beautiful, clever and wise in the lore of the stars, she assumes it's a trick to win back her wifely submission. Hereward the Wake, the legendary English hero who defied and defeated William the Conqueror, could not have been killed in such a way.

But when she sees the murdered body with her own eyes, all that is left to her is to discover the truth. Vividly remembering the past as she goes, Torfrida investigates the circumstances that led to Hereward's death, for even now, she needs to believe in the flawed, turbulent man who was her only love. From their first childhood meeting, through their tempestuous courtship and marriage, their life together teemed with adventure, romance, intrigue, and betrayal.

And the truth, when Torfrida eventually finds it, only leads her into greater danger, threatening her unexpected new happiness in the very moment of its discovery.