The fairy tale was over not long after it began. Sophia Collins, Viscountess Brampton, is battered and bruised at the hand of the man she vowed to love and obey till death do them part. Seeking refuge from the eyes of the ton, Sophia retires to their country home, Waverly. At first Sophia feels as though she has traded one prison for another. As her physical wounds begin to heal, her heart remains bruised by the brutality of her tormentor. But when her husband suddenly dies under suspicious circumstances, she must face the possibility that someone she has grown to care about may have been responsible.