Rose Award Finalist: An exiled princess returns to Byzantium—carrying a precious secret she must hide from the husband chosen for her . . .

Princess Theodora of Constantinople is to marry Duke Nikolaos, the general-in-chief of the army, a man chosen for her by the Emperor. An imperial princess must always do her duty—be beautiful, obedient and pure.

But Theodora spent ten years in exile in a barbarian land. There, once, she might have forgotten protocol. Forgotten enough to have given birth to a baby in secret. As her wedding night approaches, Theodora finds she wants to share her bed with the Duke, except she knows she's on the verge of revealing her biggest sin. . . .

Praise for Carol Townsend

"Mesmerizing." —Romance Reader at Heart

"Seductively all-consuming, deliciously provocative . . . you'll fall in love a hundred times over." —Romance Junkies