Con Somerford and Susan Kerslake were companions and lovers
one summer when he visited his family in Devon. When she
repudiated him, he left. They didn't see each other again
until he returns from war as the new Earl of Wyvern. Con
arrives to find Susan as his housekeeper.
Susan and her brother are trying to find the money that the
previous Earl had taken from their father before he was
transported to Australia. Since he hadn't kept the pact,
they needed the money to keep the smugglers from starving.
Con wants nothing to do with Crag Wyvern but feels obligated
to get things in order before returning to his home. He
isn't prepared for the onslaught of emotions when he returns
and sees Susan again. He must discover what happened to the
money that has disappeared from the accounts and then leave
temptation behind. Neither is prepared for the events that
will draw them
together or the fact that their feelings for each other are
so strong.
A re-issue, this book was as hard for me to get into the
second time as it was the first. The bitterness and
animosity between the hero and heroine prevail for a long
time until their mutual attraction outweighs everything.
Con Somerford, Viscount Amleigh, is not pleased to have
inherited the Earldom of Wyvern and the monstrous house
that goes with it. He's even less pleased when the first
person he encounters there is Susan Kerslake with a pistol
in her hands. Susan and he have a past, a bitter one. The
years in between, however, have been years of war. That
must, surely, have armed him so he can resist her, and
deal with the smuggling with which she is clearly involved.