Tragedy drove him into unwilling exile. Death demands his reluctant return. In the last decade, he has answered to many names. Now the actor known to Paris as L’Inconnu must resume his real identity and become the Earl of Sarre … a man he no longer knows how to be and whose name, thanks to the malice of a friend turned enemy, remains tarnished by scandal. Revenge, so long avoided, slithers temptingly from the shadows. To Marcus Sheringham, Caroline Maitland, grand-daughter of a wealthy wool-merchant, is the solution to his mountain of debts. Knowing she will be married for her money, Caroline never expected to find love; but neither did she bargain for a certain charming French highwayman … and a surprising turn of events. The stage is set, the cast assembled and the Duke of Rockliffe waits for the curtain to rise. In the wings, Lord Sarre prepares to make his entrance. He doesn’t expect to be greeted with applause.