Former spies Malcolm and Mélanie Suzanne Rannoch have fled Britain with their family to escape the exposure of Suzanne's past as a French agent in the Napoleonic Wars. The news that Malcolm's grandfather, the Duke of Strathdon, is dangerously ill makes them risk a secret voyage to Scotland in the depths of winter. But they arrive at the Rannoch castle on the Highland coast to find that all is not as expected. Dunmykel Castle holds dangerous mysteries beyond the sliding panel in the library, the hidden rooms, and the secret passage to the beach. As snow falls and the holiday season approaches, the Rannochs face smugglers and old enemies, and must race to uncover a deadly secret that could destroy their hard-won escape.
"Shimmers like the finest salons in Vienna." —Deborah Crombie
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"Glittering balls, deadly intrigue, sexual scandals. . .the next best thing to actually being there!"— Lauren Willig
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