The year is 1860, and although Laura Lambourne has been married to Sir Matthew Merrick for several months, she has never seen her husband's face. Laura nevertheless begins to love the gentle voice that tells the stories of adventures on the family sugar plantations in the South Pacific. Finally, Laura learns the truth about her husband's malady.

A HAUNTING NOVEL ABOUT ONE FAMILY’S POSITION AND ELEGANCE -- AND A DARING PLOT TO STEAL IT

Laura Lambourne
was destitute enough to agree to an arranged marriage to a man she’d never met, and invalid who only sought companionship. She’d brought her glowing young beauty into Sir Matthew Merrick’s dark chambers and soon fell in love with his strong yet gentle voice, his alert, inquisitive mind. But even as Laura’s heart brimmed with love, it burned with shame -- for while Sir Merrick could see her sparkling eyes from behind his curtain, he refused to face her…

Sir Matthew Merrick
was a mysterious hermit who lay with a mask and veil around his bed. When he and Laura were alone together, he ordered her to loosen her flowing golden tresses and basked in his bride’s ravishing presence. Yet he chose to imprison himself in shadows with his well-kept secret…

Aunt Ruby
held the secret to Merrick’s Mount. She set in motion a dangerous scheme that threatened not only Laura’s happiness -- but her life…

A Touch of Terror --
The chilling story of a hidden game set in mid-Victorian England -- a tale in which love flowers even in the absence of the beloved.