Lachlan MacCullough doesn't want to be a laird. He never did. But when his cousin, Black Richard, asks him to rule the recently conquered holdings of Randall Chisolm until Black Richard's first born is old enough to do so, he cannot deny the request. Even though it will take him away from the one woman he wants ... Keevah. Keevah cannot escape her past. Known as the auld whore, not even her friendship with Black Richard's wife, Aeschene, will spare her the rumors and slurs that have haunted her for years. But there are worse things than being shunned. When Keevah receives word that an old and dear friend is dying, she must return to Inverness to make her goodbyes and fulfill an old promise. That twist of fate brings her together with Lachlan once more-a man she loves but feels desperately unworthy of. It also puts her in the path of a deranged killer intent on ridding the world of prostitutes.