In 1881, Henry Asheford—heir to a smuggling empire—is living in solitude in his country estate in Cornwall, England. A once free spirit, his life crumbled after the death of his brother and grandfather. Afflicted by anxiety and haunted by a past drug addiction, he struggles to keep his head above water, making life seem increasingly hopeless.
Over a century later, in 2018, Evaline Quinn has come to Cornwall from Canada to clean out her deceased father’s cottage. Searching for closure, she discovers evidence of an old cold case murder linked to the Asheford family, plunging her straight onto the front steps of Henry’s country estate … one hundred and thirty-seven years in the past.
Linked by a violent act, Henry and Eva must work together with a single purpose: to return Eva to her time by locating a missing time-travelling device. But their plan is put on hold by increasingly dangerous circumstances…
A rising desire.
Despite finding comfort in Eva’s refreshingly brazen manner, Henry is pushed to duty when he hosts a party with an American heiress as one of the main guests. Tempted by Henry’s charming yet brooding ways, Eva distracts herself by playing Victorian party guest. She forms a friendship with a fearless Scottish scholar, whose sudden infatuation throws both Henry and Eva into a tangle of forbidden intimacy.
A dutiful secret.
When Henry’s father seeks to rekindle their distant relationship, he forces Henry to bend to his will, fanning the flames of secrecy and catching him in a struggle between duty and desire. Meanwhile, Eva, who finally gave up her independence for Henry, begins to regret trusting him.
A gut-wrenching sacrifice.
Trapped in a battle between rising passion and doing the right thing, Henry and Eva will learn that to get what they most desire, self-sacrifice may be the only way forward. Can Henry survive his father’s madness and scheme his way to help Eva return to her time? Will Eva survive the unpredictable twists of nineteenth-century drama caused by the deadly secrets of the Asheford family and return to her world? Whatever decisions are made will have long-lasting, far-reaching consequences…
Henry Alexander Asheford
The tragic hero and main protagonist
Evaline (Eva) Quinn
Main protagonist