Gently reared Martin finds himself adrift without means when his uncle goes bankrupt with gambling debts. He seeks a livelihood as tutor to the young children of an earl on a remote Welsh estate. Arriving on a dark and stormy night that sets the tone for his whole adventure, he falls into intrigue, mystery, and powerful new loves -- for the three traumatized children and their enigmatic guardian.<br><br>Dylan has been called back from service in South Africa when his elder brother supposedly finds his wife with another man, kills the pair and then himself. He’ll now have to assume most duties of the earldom, raise his nephew to majority and care for three orphaned children. Desperate for help, he hires a young man sight unseen to become their tutor while he works to uncover the facts of the scandalous tragedy that tore apart his family. Both matters reveal surprising results.

Dark and Stormy

Mrs. Morgan looked over the three children with great care. “You’re all unharmed then?”


They nodded together. From habit, Emmaline recited their tale. “Yes. Uncle Dylan and Martin found me in the stable, and Donovan was right behind them. M-M-Merlan was not able to capture him when I began to scream, and Angela made off with Charlotte while he was going to steal a horse and carry me off.”


“Praise the Lord. I hadn’t given too much credence to the reports of them sneaking around. I should have taken more note. Well, all’s well that ends well, I suppose. Come…we’re in need of some hot chocolate and sweet buns, aren’t we? To celebrate that this misadventure is nearing its resolution.”


Chapter 22