A vow made in darkness. A love waiting in the light. Only one can claim his heart.
Lord William Bateman's thirst for adventure leads him far from the green fields of England to the treacherous waters of the Mediterranean—and straight into the dungeons of the Ottoman Empire. Imprisoned, tortured, and given an ultimatum to renounce everything he holds sacred, William stands firm against Sultan Murad III's demands.
But captivity brings an unforeseen complication.
Safiye, the young and beautiful daughter of his captor, risks everything to help the defiant English lord. In whispered conversations through iron bars, an impossible love blossoms. Before William's daring escape, he and Safiye exchange a solemn promise: wait seven years, stay faithful, and find each other again—no matter the cost.
Seven years is a lifetime.
While William languishes in prison, his family's fortunes collapse. His father and brother perish. His ancestral estate falls into ruin. And Elizabeth—the intelligent, passionate woman who has quietly loved him since they were young—transforms from a shy girl into a force of nature, keeping hope alive even when everyone else believes William is dead.
When William finally returns to England, he's no longer the carefree young lord who left. He's a man haunted by his promise to a woman he may never see again, responsible for saving his family's legacy, and confronted by a woman whose devotion might be the greatest gift he never knew he had.
Two women. Two worlds. One impossible choice.
Destiny, longing and betrayal await you in this sweeping, romantic historical novel set in Elizabethan England and the Ottoman Empire of the late 16th century.
