She has a secret. He is about to find out just what that secret is. When Lady Phoebe Locke's mother died, she left her only child alone with a grieving father who shunned his daughter, the spitting image of his only love. Left to be raised by her father's servants, Phoebe grew up to be headstrong, impetuous, wild, and loyal to them and their plight...even if that meant jeopardizing herself, the man that she loved, and the careful engagement her father has made for her to Wendell Obrey, the notorious Sheriff of Nottingham.. Christopher Audley's life has been very different. The second son of a Duke, Christopher pursued the life of a priest, set on serving God and Mary, his Queen. But when he arrives at his cousin's home with a missive from Mary announcing that his cousin Wendell will inherit his betrothed's father's lands and titles upon the birth of his first child, he is shocked and enraged to find the soon-to-be bride consorting with another man in private. His hatred, however, soon turns to confusion and something he didn't quite expect at all.