Valerian Caine, killed young by a ricochet bullet in a duel, has had enough of eternity. He wants his old life back. Brandy, women, and gaming. Eternity has had enough of Valerian as well. His pompous Afterlife manager decides he can reclaim his former life if he puts an end to the feud between his family and the Sevaric clan, whose ancestor killed him a century earlier. To win his prize, he must see to it that all the descendants are happy by Christmas Day. Good luck with that! Too plain to be noticed, too proud to try, Gwen Sevaric lives with her brother, Max Sevaric, baron and military man. Valerianβs own descendants include a dissolute young man and a beautiful young woman, Dorothea Caine.
In his new material body, βJocelyn Vayleβ weasels his way into the Sevaric home. But how is he to salvage these people and his own family, enemies for a century? And when the clarion calls of pleasure distract him from his task, will he find the determination to put their interests above his own?
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