Alison had married for convenience, and when her husband died, she still had his three daughters to look after in Leyden Hall. When she meets the new master of the hall, architect Sir Charles Leyden, she finds him to be distant and quite intimidating. Yet when Sir Charles falls ill and she cares for him, she must admit that there is a softer side to him that she finds rather alluring. Does she stand a chance with this man, especially since his attentions appear to be directed at her stepdaughter Jessamy? The modern Cinderella tale from the 20th century was written by Susan Barrie, a pseudonym of the prolific romance writer Ida Pollock.

A must-read for fans of literary romance and surprising twists of fate.

Susan Barrie is a pseudonym of Ida Pollock (1908 – 2013), a highly successful British writer of over 125 romance novels translated into numerous languages and published across the world. Ida Pollock has sold millions of copies over her 90-year career.

Pollock began writing when she was 10 years old. Ida has travelled widely, living in several different countries. She continues to be popular amongst both her devoted fan base and new readers alike. Pollock has been referred to as the "world's oldest novelist" who was still active at 105 and continued writing until her death.

On the occasion of her 105th birthday, Pollock was appointed honorary vice-president of the Romantic Novelists' Association, having been one of its founding members.

Ida Pollock wrote in a wide variety of pseudonyms: Joan M. Allen, Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Averil Ives, Anita Charles, Barbara Rowan, Jane Beaufort, Rose Burghley, Mary Whistler and Marguerite Bell.