Conspirator or Protector? Agent of the Crown Tristan Sheffield's mission to uncover a traitor is complicated by an abducted child and the woman who believes him to be the kidnapper. Though she protests her innocence in the conspiracy, his chilldhood in the rookeries taught him that women are as capable of evil as men. Until he has proof he won't let her out of his sight. Julia Dorsey's heart goes out to Alice, the injured child who is the sole survivor of a fatal carriage accident. When she earns the crash was the result of a kidnapping gone wrong, Julia vows to protect her charge at all costs, even if it means dealing with the brute who has stolen them away to a hidden location. When their location is revealed and the traitor takes action, Tristan and Julia must join forces to hunt him down. In the race to save young Alice, their journey leads to unexpected discoveries and rewards. But are the rewards enough to satify their deepest yearnings?