Winter Garden, England - 1852

Garrett Burke has two important things he would like to clear up: first, where are the Martello diamonds that belong to his family, and second, does Lady Ivy Wentworth have anything to do with their disappearance? Two years ago, Garrett and Ivy, both working for the Crown at the time, had a torrid love affair. The night he asked Ivy to marry him was also the night he was to meet Benedict Sharon at a church to retrieve the stolen diamonds. But what happened changed everything for Garrett. He was struck on the head from behind and, as he went down, saw a woman in the shadows. Was Ivy part of this attack? Two years later, Garrett still has only a fuzzy memory of that night and he must find the answers.

As a seer, Lady Ivy has been contracted, via the government, to travel to Winter Garden in the south of England to try to find out if the former Rothebury home is haunted. Her real employer, the new owner of the estate, is the Marquess of Rye, a mysterious man who possibly hasn't told Ivy everything in his missives to her. For one thing, Garrett Burke, in the guise of an architect, has also been sent to Winter Garden to search for the missing Benedict Sharon who suddenly disappeared from the estate. Ivy will never forgive Garrett for seducing her, and then leaving her. And what, if anything, does Garrett know about Ivy's twin brother, Ian? He, too, has disappeared, and Ivy feels it is linked, somehow, to the Rothebury estate and the Martello diamonds.

The Rothebury estate was well known as the headquarters for an opium smuggling mission run by the late Baron Rothebury, Richard Sharon. Lord and Lady Eastleigh, Thomas and Madeleine (readers will recognize them from Ms. Ashworth's novel, WINTER GARDEN) ended that ring, and are helping Garrett and Ivy in their investigation. The hidden tunnel and possible network of secret passageways within the house could hold the answers to many questions. But how will Garrett and Ivy be able to work together when it's very obvious to them, as well as those around them, that they haven't quite come to terms with their feelings for each other? And just who in the tiny village of Winter Garden is aware of the secrets that the estate is hiding? Ivy's feelings of foreboding begin to consume her as she agonizes over her brother's disappearance and the dreams she has of him calling to her.

Wow! What a fabulous story! Fans of Adele Ashworth will love the fact that she has returned to Winter Garden. This is a mystery of the best kind since it's coupled with a wonderful love story. Ivy and Garrett are star-crossed lovers who were torn apart by confusion and lies and now have a second chance, thanks to the Marquess of Rye, to rectify everything. Ivy is hesitant to trust Garrett again, not sure why he suspected her of having anything to do with his failed mission. Can Ivy be trusted, though? That is Garrett's question -- was she the woman he saw before he blacked out? Thomas and Madeleine play minor parts in this story, as do other members of the village who appeared in WINTER GARDEN.

Readers, hang onto your hats; this is a fantastic ride with unexpected turns as the book comes to a heart-stopping finale. Do not miss A NOTORIOUS PROPOSITION, it is a most fitting sequel to the fabulous WINTER GARDEN.

Jani Brooks