He's free at last. No longer under the crushing weight of a mortal disease, Sir Marcus Camberley is ready to go and live the life he imagined; wife and family included. His travels are leisurely, his appreciation for life sharpened by his new-found liberty. When he arrives on a moonlit beach one night, however, everything changes. Thanks to one unlikely smuggler – Mistress Mariah Dean.

Mariah has one goal – to protect her "lads". When she's roughly manhandled into a compromising position by this handsome stranger, she goes along with it, knowing it's the only way to ensure their safety. At least that's what she tells herself for the first thirty seconds. After that...it's all about his lips and his body and the magnificently wonderful things he's making her feel.

Marcus decides then and there that Mariah is the woman for him. Mariah? Well, she's ready to take advantage of Marcus's sensual expertise, but refuses to even consider the possibility of a future together. After all, he's a titled member of the aristocracy. She's just a widow living quietly in Buckler's Hard...