December, 1821
Lord Valentin believes that the person one spends the night with on the longest night of the year—the Winter Solstice—will remain in one's life forever. Valentin is willing to put this theory to the test with Mary Cameron, the beautiful Highland woman he met while bodyguard to a princess.
Valentin is back in England to keep an eye an ambassador who might be plotting to overthrow his tiny kingdom, but he is wildly distracted when Mary appears at the Christmas ball where he is tracking his prey.
Mary, a widow with a son, never believed she was destined to find passion until she met the mysterious Baron Valentin in her brother's house, but Valentin disappeared from Scotland a year ago, and Mary hasn't seen him since.
She discovers now that Valentin hasn't changed—he is still dangerous, handsome, intriguing—and he wants Mary.
In spite of the peril surrounding them, Valentin is willing to learn whether he and Mary will surrender to the magic of The Longest Night ...
