Though Queen Elizabeth I's court at Richmond was a notorious hotbed of illicit liaisons and broken hearts, only beautiful Adorna Pickering remained unscathed...and unattainable. For whenever an admirer crossed the line, she sought the protection of her father, the Master of Revels. Only one man held the power to overcome her skittish ways -- Sir Nicholas Rayne. With a reputation blacker than sin, Nicholas represented everything Adorna knew to avoid.