Being a bride is a state of mind, not of body. Ian, Count of Charteris, is happiest when he is working his land with his tenants. Court life and travel hold no appeal for him. Nevertheless, he escorts his widowed sister on a diplomatic mission to the isolated Shadow Valley. Rumor has it that those people have discovered a miraculous medicine that Moorcondia is anxious to trade for. Boredom transforms into fascination at the sight...