After the atrocities of the Crusades, Guy of Bournwood has returned home to nurse his wounds and manage the estate he inherits unexpectedly. His heart is heavy, and his dreams are soaked with the blood of those he slaughtered.

Only the pretty young woman he hears singing in the village brings him any solace. Her fresh beauty and joyous purity act like a balm on his tormented soul. His eyes search for glimpses of her sweet face. His ears are attuned to her lilting melodies. His heart aches with unsatisfied desire, but this suffering is a welcome replacement for the pain of his uncleansed sins.

But Claire is to be married to a village man, and so Guy must face the unthinkable. Another man will take her innocence, a youth so unworthy of her that his merest touch would forever defile Claire.

Guy's only choice is to take for himself what is too precious to waste on her betrothed. He will exercise his droit de seigneur, his right of first night, and Claire's virginity will be his to claim.

If only this single night could last a lifetime....