Only lies can keep her children alive... Alexandre is a powerful Norman nobleman haunted by memories of a troubled past. He has sworn never to marry. Elayne is a Scottish noblewoman masquerading as the nursemaid of her own children, sent to Normandy by King David as good faith hostages. Neither she nor her children are who they purport to be and only lies can keep them alive. The struggle for the throne of England between Stephen and Maud in the 12th century provides the historical backdrop for this story.