sir richard bolitho returns from a wearing campaign in north american waters to take up a command in malta as englands long war with napoleon reaches its end will richard bolithos longing for peaceboth public and personalbe fulfilled he was clinically dead after the accidentbut was miraculously revived now hatch harrison and his wife approach each day with a new appreciation for life but something has come back with hatch from the other side a terrible presence that links his mind to a psychotics so that a force of murderous rage courses through him when the mysterious vincent morthanos arrives to stay at her fathers inn 16yearold cynda is mesmerized his charm and sensitivity are irresistible his attentiveness is constant cyndas sure shes in love daring to hope that the stranger shares her feelings cynda is innocently blind to who he really isor to the terrible danger of coming under his spell