At the Meryton assembly, Fitzwilliam Darcy lets his usual insult die when Elizabeth’s face recalls someone tied to his own family.
Long used to standing apart from the fair-haired sisters around her, she is drawn to the reserved gentleman of ten thousand a year and to the loyalty hidden under his pride.
Their swift attachment disturbs secrets that reach back to 1066, when étienne de Arci crossed with Duke William and set the D’Arcy name on wild northern land.
Old wounds, hidden loyalties, and dangerous ambitions rise with the truth of Elizabeth’s past, including that she is not a Bennet, while Lady Anne Darcy is still alive.
On the eve of the wedding, a sinister scheme places Elizabeth in grave peril and may carry her off before Darcy can reach her.