A new dynasty remade the old world... and her family wants to join the winners. By marriage. The kingdom of Craerenth had been ruled by an austere and bloodthirsty leader for as long as Lady Julia Milburn had been alive. Perhaps, that was why she had made the decision that blighted her life for the years to come. Now there is a new king on the throne - a golden prince, some say, a hero from tales who vanquished the evil. But Julia is not destined for his bridal bed - she cannot be, not with her reputation ruined so thoroughly. She is instead arranged to marry his grim younger brother, Lord Athelstan Waite. The pale, the stern, the unwanted - a man far more comfortable on the deck of a ship than in the polished chambers of the palace. Perhaps, that was why Lord Waite's glamorous brother had sent him off to the bleak seaside castle of Grey Harbour - and his new bride with him. Will the trial break Julia's spirit? Or will her bright nature become her new husband's salvation?