Sequel to: Once a scoundrel.

British intelligence officer Simon Duval resigns his commission and returns to England. There he finds his cousin's widow, Suzanne Duval, the Comtesse de Chambron, working as a seamstress and living in reduced circumstances. While both believe they are beyond love and passion, their sympathetic bond leads Simon to propose a marriage of companionship, and Suzanne accepts. As she joins Simon in a search for his long missing foster brother, warmth and caring begin to heal both their scars -- and a powerful passion sparks between them. When Napoleon escapes from Elba, Wellington personally asks Simon to use his formidable skills to help prevent another devastating war.