She was a fatherless waif called Bella Bawtry - until a lawyer discovered a yellowing marriage contract. Suddenly she was Isabel Broadbent, heiress to a vast fortune, mistress of a great family manor in the lonely wilds of the north country.

When the lovely, innocent young girl came to live in Sutherdyke Hall, she moved as in a fairy tale - complete with her Prince Charming. For waiting for her was handsome, dashing Courtney Somerby, the embodiment of gallantry and romance.

That was before she began to learn of the secret none dared speak aloud. That was before she had to answer the question: Was her lover an angel - or a demon in disguise?