It's the middle of the 18th century, when smuggling is rife in Cornwall and cargo ships crossing the English Channel are prey to attacks from pirates. The Lady Emma, on passage to France, meets a different fate...
High on the cliffs above Mellin Cove, Kit St Neot reins in his black stallion and peers out into the storm. He gasps when he sees the tall-masted ship, helpless against the relentless fury of the waves, being hurled to the rocks.
With adrenaline pumping, he gallops to the beach and throws himself from his horse. Plunging into the surf, he strikes out for the small, limp body he can see being tossed by the breakers. In one desperate bid he plucks the creature from the sea and struggles ashore.
But back at Mellin Hall Kit is in for a surprise when he leaves the half-dead victim of the storm in the care of his housekeeper, Jesemy. For the person he rescued from the sea is not the cabin boy he thought, but a lovely young woman - and she has no recollection of who she is.