London, 1847.
Ever since scarlet fever nearly claimed her life, Edith Eleanor Ashford has been trapped in a frail body and kept far from the life she longs for. There is only one person who can make her feel truly alive: Eirik Varg, the young Scandinavian who was taken in by her family when he was little more than an injured boy with no past.
Eirik has loved her for years, but he refuses to acknowledge it. Edith belongs to a world of family name, wealth, and position; he has nothing but a fragmented history, a mysterious mark bearing the legacy of his Norse ancestry, and the fear that his past could destroy the woman he loves.
When Edith leaves for France to regain her health, the two are separated.
Two years later, Edith returns transformed. She is no longer the sickly young woman Eirik left behind. She has regained her strength, her independence, and her desire to live life to the fullest. But Eirik has become a harder man, determined to keep her far from his heart. And now another man is willing to offer her the future he believes he can never give her.
As Edith struggles to decide what kind of life she wants, Eirik is finally forced to confront the secrets of his origins. Both will have to choose between the fear that has kept them apart and the love that has never stopped binding them together.
Because discovering where Eirik comes from may reveal who he is.
But only Edith can show him where he belongs.
And after a long winter, they will both have to decide whether they dare to find their way home together.
