The Victorian era is considered as being a time of moral restraint, but beneath the veneer of respectability, human desires sizzled. These three short stories explore moments when restraint and desire collide. Tryst Lillian has always lived up to her family name and avoided scandal. When she learns that a wealthy but uncaring man is planning to seek her hand, she is torn between her dreams of love and her duty to her family. After years away adventuring, Huxley has been called home. Rugged, wild, and handsome, he is facing a tawdry future, married to a woman with no sense of adventure. When the two meet, the energy between them is undeniable. Lillian suggests one small indiscretion-a tryst-before the two of them are betrothed. Huxley is happy to oblige, and when Lillian confesses that this time will be her first time, Huxley promises to make it an encounter she will never forget. Hide and Seek Newlyweds Maria and Frederick can barely keep their hands from one another. Perhaps a brief respite before departing for their honeymoon might make the long train ride bearable? But interruptions abound, and to keep their desires in check until they can find some privacy, Maria proposes they play parlour games. But during a game of Hide and Seek, Maria finds more than she was expecting. Is Frederick really the man he claims to be? Or has she been duped by a cad again?

The Portrait Sitting Francine and Clarke come together for an afternoon-he, the photographer, her the model. But as the afternoon progresses, desires are exposed, heartaches laid bare, and Clarke and Francine learn the power of passion exposed, and what it means to be truly seen by another.