A powerful and moving tale of lust, lies, deceit and intrigue that has gripped readers' imaginations for more than 30 years.
She has inherited her mother's exquisite beauty, as well as her sensuous, impulsive nature - a legacy that will plunge her life into turmoil
Antoinette, daughter of the beautiful Scarlett and a French Vicomte, is irresistibly drawn to her mother's former lover, Sir Peregrine Waite. But he only sees her as a child and does not yield to her passionate advances.
Burning with fury and humiliation at his rejection, Antoinette offers herself to the most notorious poet in Europe and finds herself thrown into disgrace and degradation. But her love still burns for Peregrine, the man whose dangerous secret she has uncovered. The secret he shares with her fiercest rival - Scarlett.
Claire Lorrimer wrote her first book at the age of twelve, encouraged by her mother, the bestselling author Denise Robins. After the Second World War, during which Claire served on secret duties, she started her career as a romantic novelist under her maiden name, Patricia Robins. In 1970 she began writing her magnificent family sagas and thrillers under the name Claire Lorrimer. She is currently at work on her seventy-first book. Claire lives in Kent.