Life has cruel twists and turns, and
Noelle de Vallon, has a far from forgiving nature in respect of a past lover. His
sudden return to the local scene is but a sharp thorn she would rather extract
for good, than fall foul to his unmitigated charm and seductive voice. What has
brought him to home shores is a mystery to her, though a death in the family
seems reason enough, but is obviously not the whole reason. As a reluctant French
émigré at the height of the French Revolution Noelle has sought distraction
from a broken heart, and in turn indulged the dangerous exploits of smuggling.
Her fellow smugglers at arms are a mixed bunch of characters, and much the same
can be said of the gentry set in the local parish. Amidst there number lurks a
spy, and the Home Office are on the case, but who out of three people who descend
on the local community is the actual agent seeking the identity of the spy?
Thus, with the excise men chasing
her tail and a rakish lord returned, Noelle risks a great deal to evade surrender
to romantic notions and evade arrest. Suddenly France or European cities such
as Vienna seem an eminently safe haven in comparison to the trials and
tribulations besetting her formerly charmed and nefarious lifestyle. But when
one joins the ranks of deceivers then a greater deceiver may prove to be a foe and
not friend at all, and with her life in the balance where in the devil is the
man who said he loves her but is absent when needed most? This is truly a fun-filled
smuggling romp involving misunderstandings, lustful pursuits, and scores of amusing
asides. Enjoy!
