A lady-in-waiting struggling to fit in.... Even after three years at Robert the Bruce's Highland court, Cairren Kennedy still feels like an outsider. Quiet and kindhearted, Cairren has fought to make a place for herself among the queen's ladies-in-waiting when she doesn't look like any of the other young women. A Lowlander with a French mother, her Mediterranean heritage sets her apart both by her features and her customs. When her father hints at an arranged marriage to a Highlander, Cairren fears she'll face more discrimination when she's forced to make her home among strangers. Can Cairren prove that she's more than what people assume? Can she create a new life where she's not welcome? A second son with other plans... Padraig Munro doesn't need or want an arranged marriage because he already has the perfect woman in mind. When King Robert announces Padraig's betrothal to the unsuitable Cairren Kennedy, Padraig refuses to open his heart to a woman who couldn't be less of a Highland lass. Faced with a bride who can't blend in and a family who refuses to accept Cairren, Padraig is caught between his duty to protect his gentle bride and his family's expectations. Can Padraig balance the roll of husband and son when both sides couldn't be further apart? Can Padraig put aside his preconceived notions to make his marriage work? Pushed together by royal decree, Cairren and Padraig take an instant dislike to one another. Angry that he can't marry the woman he's certain he loves, Padraig leaves Cairren to navigate life in the Highlands until his clan's resentment puts her life in danger. Cairren doesn't trust the man she's ordered to share a bed with, but when threats can't be ignored, she must turn to the man she'd pledged her life to. Passion and desire spark between husband and wife, but outside the bedchamber, they can barely stand to look at one another. Can Padraig accept that Cairren isn't to blame for his life's unexpected path, and can Cairren stop seeing Padraig as the enemy before the real enemy destroys their chance to build a life together?