Just before dawn

the long version

It has been ten years since Tom Strong left Bristol. And now his family, whose wealth was founded on sugar and the slave trade, have decided they want him back. New ways must be found to maintain the family wealth, and Horatia Strong is determined that Tom is going to be a part of the solution. But there are old enemies who are just as determined for him to fail, and Tom begins to wish he had stayed away. Meanwhile, there is a cholera epidemic sweeping through the city, and no one seems immune to it. Horatia lends her support by raising money for improved sanitation, but she has an ulterior motive. She is ruthless in everything she does, and she is determined to win Tom for herself - and will consider any course of action, no matter how violent or extreme, to get what she wants.