A heritage of shadows

the long version

Hannah McLeod is eighteen, lovely, and alone in Paris. She earns her modest wages working as a waitress in a small cafe, and hides from everyone the horrifying truth about her past. Only Toby Kent, the painter who occupies the garret next to Hannah's, knows her shameful secret. Suddenly, to avoid an encounter with the French police, Hannah is forced to flee to England, the homeland she hoped never again to see. And her worst fears are realized when she finds herself the pawn in a bitter struggle between two cruel and wealthy men. Her chances for survival depend on two things. The kindness of a handsome stranger. And her own considerable courage...