Emma du Sarron has rejected the Spymaster's amorous advances for the last time. She has her eyes set on the Prince of the Palanisi Empire in fulfillment of a promise she made to her father, so she spurns the advances of the vindictive and disgusting man. Unbeknownst to her, the Spymaster is even crueler than she expected. Accused of a crime she did not commit, Emma is sent away for execution. Escorting her is Terry von Auttenberg, a newly knighted man who displeases the Knights Captain of the Empire for failing to meet certain requirements for knighthood. But the king sends Terry and his wizard friend to accomplish this delicate execution in foreign territory for political advantage. The Spymaster did not count on Emma regaining consciousness during the short trip. Neither did he count on the wizard being able to discover a truth he thought safely concealed. Nor did he count on the love that would develop between the unusual graying knight and the mature woman he had so earnestly desired.