Honora Jeffers has every reason to obey the man who holds her place in the household. Adrian Rutherford's authority keeps her brother safe from the streets, but his discipline demands a surrender that leaves her trembling in the servants' hall.

Every failing is answered in that hall, where his terse commands carry off the stone walls. The staff pass just beyond the closed door while his hand finds bare skin, and each session sharpens the line between protection and the ruin they both crave.

She waits for the first strike, the whole household just beyond the unlocked door.