The next instalment in Scott's 'Borders Trilogy' about the three Murray sisters, this is the story of seventeen-year-old Lady Amalie Murray. Through no fault of her own, Amalie has a secret she cannot bear to reveal, not even to her family. She believes that her secret has rendered her ineligible for marriage.
Fearful that her unknowing parents are trying to arrange a marriage for her, Amalie chooses to become one of the Princess Isabel Stewart's ladies. But Amalie 'accidentally' overhears a conversation that suggests murder may be afoot. Caught in her eavesdropping by Sir Garth Napier, she refuses to tell him what she's heard. His instinctive reaction is to protect her. Her instinctive reaction is to trust him. Together they must fight against the dark forces threatening the realm.