Are you a Georgette Heyer fan? This is my version of what happened to The Duke of Sale after his marriage to the Lady Harriet Prestigne. I do not pretend to be in Miss Heyer's league but I hope you like my story nonetheless.A year after their marriage Harriet is dead. Distraught and unable to cope with his loss he cannot even turn to his former mentor Lord Lionel who had has a stoke or his friend and cousin Gideon is thrown from his horse and it seems unlikely he will ever walk again. Some three years later, having been unable to outrun his demons he finally realises that his protected upbringing has left him wholly unable to cope with the slings and arrows of life's misfortune and he resolves to disappear and strike out on his own. A further three years after that, a confident man who has discovered that he can mange on his own, he resolves to return. A mere week or so before he sets off for England he stumbles across an English Lady in need of rescue with a mysterious past and who possesses a most unfeminine skill with a sword.In effecting Miss Leighton's rescue, the Duke finds himself pitchforked into the complex politics of post revolutionary France. Never having previously interested himself in domestic politics he would have found himself out of his depth if not for the lady who in addition to her skill with the foils shows an deep understanding of international politics as well.Who is this Lady? Why has she never been seen abroad in England? Why is id that the dastardly Monsieur Hainaut seem so determined to despoil her honour. The Duke resolves to untangle the mystery and discovers a dark family secret stretching back over two generations. it will take him all his ingenuity and newfound confidence to solve. .