Which were more dangerous--his secret desires. . . or her own? Cruel false gossip and scandal follow Velvet Campbell everywhere she goes in London--and for the sake of her sanity she must get away. Accepting a position as governess at an estate in remote Cornwall, Velvet hopes to start over, untainted by rumor. But she finds to her dismay that her new employer--the darkly handsome Lucian Pendar--is, himself, the subject of whispered insinuations . . . that he hurled his wife to her death from nearby treacherous cliffs. But angel or demon, Lucian affects Velvet in ways she never dreamed possible, causing her heart to race, stealing the breath from her body with a look. As their mutual attraction grows, there is no resisting the passion that flares between them. Yet, as secrets from both their pasts rise to the surface, Velvet is haunted by one inescapable question: has she found a kindred spirit, her destined love . . . or placed herself in dire peril?