Lady Rosamunde Devere has no interest in marrying dull Prince Michael, no matter how perfect the newspapers think she is for the role of his wife. But not even the unconventional Rosamunde could imagine the headline the papers would soon be running : the one where she is the willing hostage of a condemned murderer. Yet Richard Maitland is no ordinary criminal. Steely-eyed, arrogant and dangerously attractive, the ex-chief of Her Majesty's Secret Service is also, as far as Rosamunde is concerned, guilty as sin. Caught up in his daring escape on the eve of his execution, Rosamunde, who can handle a gun as well as any man and is not afraid to use it, soon finds herself in every bit as much danger as Richard. For the more she learns about this mysterious lone wolf of a man, the more determined she is to help him clear his name. But even more perilous than the conspiracy surrounding Richard is the passion that ignites between them -- a passion that is rash, reckless and impossible to resist.