The last thing Leofred Toustain ever wanted was to be tied in marriage to the daughter of an enemy lord. Yet, when a peace treaty is forged in an attempt to mend the war-torn realm of Alemere that is precisely what he is faced with. To add insult to injury, the bride chosen for him is a sullen, silent shell of a woman who recoils from his every attempt at intimacy. Resigned to his fate, he strives to at least form a friendship of sorts with her. In the process, he will discover that there is far more to the woman he married than meets the eye.