Bess, a 14th century English peasant girl, leads a simple life until a reclusive baron marries her widowed mother, making Bess an unlikely noblewoman, though hardly a lady of leisure. When her stepfather dies, rundown Clarendon Keep becomes her responsibility. Savage mercenaries raid the castle and kidnap her mother, and Bess dons boy's clothing and narrowly escapes, only to be captured by smugglers. Rhys, their tall, powerful, handsome leader is more man than Bess has ever known, and she falls helplessly in love with the fearsome, violent rogue. He awakens in her a fiery passion, and even his hard slaps to her backside fail to quell her lust. Her virgin body aches for his touch, and she needs his strength and courage to rescue her mother. Will the rogue succumb to youthful charm and help her, or deliver her to the evil lord who ordered the raid on her castle?