A wife with a dark past... Two years ago, thief Helga Tannrsson made the fatal mistake of falling for her mark. To marry the man her heart desired, she faked her own death and adopted the noblewoman persona that had been her cover story when she'd met Ulf. Now Helga should be happy-she has the life of her dreams, yet she's caught in a trap of her own making. Living a lie is harder than she'd imagined, her deep-seated mistrust of men still haunts her, and she's unable to even bare her body to her husband when they make love. As Helga struggles to hold onto the fraying threads of her marriage, a shadow from her past reappears. The Viking who loves her... For much of his life, overseer of the city's defenses Ulf Eriksson felt unworthy of his prestigious family name. Claiming a Viking noblewoman as his bride had finally allowed him to hold his head high as an Eriksson brother. Yet all is not well within his marriage. He'd hoped that his beloved Helga would come to trust him, but she remains frustratingly closed-off and distant, not even disrobing for the marriage bed. When outlaws breach the city wall and are revealed to be Helga's kin, the shocking truth about his wife is laid bare. Devastated, shamed, and with his reputation in tatters, Ulf doubts whether his marriage was even real or just one long con. Had the thief that stole his heart ever loved him? And, after all the lies and betrayal can he trust her again?