Teal-eyed enchantress Barrett Winslow fled through the gaslit London streets, staked by a ruthless enemy in search of a secret she can never reveal.  And when fate tosses her into the arms of an exotic stranger, she finds herself swept away to a brazen, steamy paradise that hides deadly secrets and forbidden passions.  Fierce protector or dark betrayer?  To London's rich and powerful he is Deveril Pagan, Viscount St. Cyr, envied by all men and desired by all women.  But in the mist-covered emerald hills of Ceylon, he is called the Tiger Sahib, and for him the priceless, fabled ruby is only a curse, its blood red facets pulsing with savage power that drive men to unquenchable greed and women to unspeakable desire.  Lovers bound by dark destiny.  From the glittering corridors of London's elite to the wind-swept shores of colonial Ceylon, they tried to flee their fierce fate, which throbbed in the crimson heart of the legendary jewel . . . driving the lovers to stolen passion and unthinkable evil in the sultry, tropical night.  For there, only one man stands between Barrett and the darkness . . . and he might just be the greatest threat of all . . . .