Caithness, October 1843, and it's a grim, stormy afternoon. Wind and rain batter the windows of the Marchmont family home, but Lady Cynthia Marchmont is overjoyed when her father, Lord Joseph Marchmont, suddenly announces the family will move to Edinburgh for the winter season. 'You and your younger sister Angela will make new friends and go to all the balls and soirees, ' he says, then, reading Cynthia's mind, adds, 'You and Angela, two beautiful Marchmont debutantes. Aye, you'll both be sure to find husbands in Edinburgh, my dear.' Aged twenty-two, Cynthia is mindful that she risks being classed 'too old' for courtship, let alone marriage, according to social standards. But Cynthia has a vision. One of a ravishingly handsome man twirling her across a grand ballroom floor. He'll betall, with luscious dark hair, intense eyes, and a physique like Michelangelo's David, she decides. A week later, on the cobbled streets of Edinburgh, Cynthia's vision becomes a reality when she meets Lord