Having been brought up in the Reverend Mr Cudlipp's household, Maryanne Paynter was both astonished and a little frightened to be suddenly taken up by Viscount Danbury. Discovering herself to be related to aristocracy changed her life completely, and, even more mystifyingly, it brought her into contact with Adam Saint Pierre, who also seemed to have some connection with the Danburys. The uneasy peace between France and England in 1814 seemed to be part of the mystery, for it seemed that past Danbury Maryanne seek refuge-with her new cousin Mark, or Adam?
