Poison-tester Annette Turner, after a decade of brutal torment, is forced into a political marriage. She becomes General Howard's cure and his fiercely adored partner, rising as the unshakable matriarch who turns her scars into power.
After having a spiked drink, Lucien Roberts spent the night with Cecelia Payne. Assuming Cecelia was behind it, he had been cold to her after he married her at his grandpa's request. Five years later, Cecelia voluntarily divorced Lucien. Only then did he realize how wrong he was about her and how much she had done for him.