Firmly on the shelf, Amanda Fitzhugh is far too levelheaded to again fall for a rake's seductive promises and caresses. She was content to chaperon her young cousin's come-out and betrothal to Simon Hannibal Thornton, one of England's most noble war heroes. But when the iron-willed earl with a haunted castle turns his soldierly skills from winning a bride to conquering her companion, Amanda discovers her own heart in mortal danger amid the ghosts of passion.