Claire Banning fulfilled every debutante's dream when she married a rich nobleman. Soon, however, the celebrated beauty realizes she wed a dissolute wastrel. Bitterly hurt and desperately lonely, Claire vows nonetheless to take her expected place in society. Then on a journey home to her husband's estate on the coast of Sussex, she is abducted, and her life--and her heart--are changed forever.
Hugh Battancourt--a dark and dangerous nobleman who long ago turned his back on the ton and now leads a life secretly dedicated to his country's service--is determined not to be swayed by his prisoner's beauty as they share a cabin on a ship bound for France. Lives depend on his retrieving from her a letter full of secrets she intends to turn over to the enemy. But even as Claire and Hugh engage in a battle of wits and wills, captor and captive find themselves drawn irresistibly to each other. Is it possible, Claire wonders, that she could discover the true meaning of love that has eluded her with this handsome stranger? One who will lay his life on the line in order to protect her from someone who is intent on placing Claire in the path of danger?
Karen Robards was born on 24 August 1954 in Louisville, Kentucky, USA. She has been writing since she was a teenager.
Karen sold her first short story, when was very young, and was published in the December 1973 Reader's Digest, but she cannot sold her first romance novel until 1981, when she was 24. After it, she dropped out of law school to pursue her writing career. Today, a regular on the New York Times, USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists, among others, she is the winner of six Affaire de Coeur Silver Pen Awards for favorite romance author, as well as numerous other awards. She writes historical and contemporary romances.
Karen lives in native Louisville with her husband, Doug, and their three sons Peter (b. 1983), Christopher "Chris" (b. 1989), and Jack (b. 1994). She says: "I read, I write, and I chauffeur children," she says with a laugh. "That's my life."
