Sick of combat and betrayal, Cordelia Vorkosigan is ready to settle down toa quiet life. But when the Emperor dies, her husband Aral becomes guardian ofthe infant heir to the imperial throne of Barrayar and the target of high-techassassins in a dynastic civil war. But neither Aral nor Cordelia can guess thepart that their cell-damaged unborn will play in Barrayar's bloody legacy.Winner of the Hugo Award.