Amity Doncaster barely escapes with her life after she is trapped in a London carriage with a blade-wielding man in a black mask. Her quick thinking, and her secret weapon, save her for now. But the monster known in the press as the Bridegroom, who has left a trail of female victims in his wake, has survived the wounds she inflicts. He is unwholesomely obsessed by her scandalous connection to Benedict Stanbridge, learned through gossip about their hours alone in a ship's stateroom. Benedict refuses to let Amity suffer for her romantic link to him--as tenuous as it may be. Each intends to end the Bridegroom's reign of terror in London and will join forces to do so.