When Captain Nicholas Blaize suddenly married penniless Miranda Cooke and swept her away to his family's estate on Thunder Island, it seemed like a fairy tale come true - to everyone except Miranda. Nicholas' sister had died tragically the year before, and it quickly became apparent to Miranda that she would never measure up to the memory of Julia, even in her husband's tormented eyes. Julia had been beautiful and carefree, charming everyone who crossed her path - everything that Miranda was not.

And so she was hardly surprised when the accidents began. She could feel the hatred all around her. Someone wanted to get rid of her for daring to take what had belonged - what still belonged - to Julia. Someone would resort to murder to keep her from being the mistress of the House at Thunder Cove.