Captain Charles Bevin left Mary three years ago to rejoin his regiment in the Peninsular War. Since he’s been gone, Mary has struggled to raise her young son while working to save her family’s pub from her stepfather’s creditors. To retain control of her livelihood, Mary was forced to pretend she and Charles had wed before he’d left, and that he’d died in battle. Under English law, a widow has more rights than a wife.

Charles returns to England after a harrowing experience in Spain hoping to renew his relationship with Mary. He is stunned to walk into her pub and discover that everyone believes they are already married. With Mary in danger of losing everything, can Charles overcome her fear of betrayal to convince her to make their marriage real, and capture her heart once again?