Jack Kent, un antiguo ladron reformado, no se encuentra a gusto en actos sociales como esa boda, a la que ha acudido por puro compromiso. Pero todo cambia de repente cuando ve como la novia se descuelga de uno de los balcones y le implora que le permita huir en su carruaje. Aquella joven norteamericana, que no estaba dispuesta a tolerar un matrimonio impuesto con un viejo duque, le atrae desde el principio. Sin embargo, la pasion que empieza a nacer entre ellos ha de enfrentarse a varios retos: el abismo entre los mundos a que pertenecen y, sobre todo, los propios miedos de Jack, que aun no ha hecho las paces con su turbulento pasado. / Seafaring Scotsman Jack Kent has enjoyed his share of trysts with bored society wives, but pleasure--not love--has always been his aim. Until the day he finds his carriage--and his life--invaded by a disheveled American heiress. Even rumpled and torn, nothing can hide Amelia Belfords enchanting beauty or her fiery will to be free. And for the first time Jack is faced with a woman who arouses in him something more than desire. Amelia never dreamed her desperate flight from an arranged marriage would find her scrambling out of a church window, landing in a tangle of twigs, and finally darting into the carriage of a stranger. And she never imagined shed then set sail for his ancestral home--and discover passion in his arms. But Amelia is not the only one with a scandal to her credit. She soon senses pain behind Jacks caresses--secrets he will not reveal. Just as she breaks through his reserve, a devastating scheme forces them apart. Could the same adventurous spirit that brought them together also be their undoing? Only the truth -and one more impetuous act of courage- will tell.