AustLit

'Cornwall, 1805

'Rescued from the French prison in which he’s been held captive, Nathaniel Payne returns to the life of a smuggler in Cornwall, bringing with him boatload of brandy. However, he is startled to find his usual contraband hideaway, The Queen’s Head Inn, has a new owner.

'As much as Nate has a past to hide, it seems young widow Susannah Linwood has even more reason to cover up her own background. She is distant and cautious. Her only companion is her maid Peggy and the woman is highly protective of her mistress. What’s more, Susannah does not approve of smugglers and threatens to call the revenuers unless Nate removes the contraband.

'Even so, he is intrigued as well as attracted to Susannah who begins to warm to him. However, his on-again, off again married lover, Lillian, is jealous of his interest in the new inn owner and sets out to find out what she’s hiding, certain it is a great scandal. And complicating matters is that Susannah has also attracted the jealousy of the local magistrate’s wife.

'In the brewing storm, Nate thinks nothing at first of the arrival of a lodger at the inn called Hardacre. He claims to be a bird watcher and painter, but is, in reality, more interested in something else Nate brought back from France – intelligence about troop movements.

'Meanwhile, Susannah is preparing to act on her growing feelings towards Nate. Then a mysterious man appears who claims to know all about her past and threatens blackmail over the circumstances of her husband’s death.

'Nate is persuaded to return to France to help rescue stranded English agents, but there may be a more pressing rescue mission at home.

'Betrayal is closer than either Nate or Susannah imagine.'

Source : publisher's blurb