1907. A gold mining town in northern California is hardly the place for a member of the English aristocracy. When Lady Serena Buxton arrives in Cold Creek, she is shocked to find her husband, Lord Buxton, is missing. Everyone in town treats her as if she is already a widow. With no husband and no money, what is a lady to do? 1913. Lord and Lady Buxton’s orderly lives are upset by Pinkerton Agent Stuart Montgomery’s unexpected arrival at their estate in England. Montgomery is investigating suspicious deaths at an American aviation company. Will the Buxtons return with him to America and help him close the case? Or is this an excuse for Montgomery to renew a potentially scandalous association with Serena? 1918. Lord Randolph Buxton is fighting at the front during the closing months of World War 1. Lady Serena manages Buxton Hall which has been converted into a military hospital. When Randolph is reported missing in action, Serena is heartbroken but carries on with day-to-day duties while she awaits news of her husband. And then Randolph comes home. She married for love, but she does not know the man who returns to her. Will she be strong enough to hold together everything she most cherishes?

Being born in Bristol, England, Victoria Chatham grew up in an area rife with the elegance of Regency architecture. This, along with the novels of Georgette Heyer, engendered in her an abiding interest in the period with its style and manners and is one where she feels most at home. 



Apart from her writing, Victoria is an avid reader of anything that catches her interest, but especially Regency romance. She also teaches introductory creative writing. Her love of horses gets her away from her computer to volunteer at Spruce Meadows, a world class equestrian centre near Calgary, Alberta, where she currently lives.

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As I read this story, I felt Serena's pain while she dealt with the uncertainty surrounding her missing husband, and later with his precarious situation upon his return. I hoped for a happy ending for Serena and Randolph who have become two of my favorite characters. Great job, Ms. Chatham. I'm a little sad that the trilogy is complete, but I'm looking forward to the next offering by this author.

Brenda Sinclair