Publisher's Synopsis
The family saga continues at Rockglass Manor. As she recovers from that fateful evening at the now-deceased Phin Black's house in Whitechapel, Faith prepares to wed her beloved Jack, although she lacks a ring, as of yet. Her cousin Margaret likes to inquire about this as much as the elder of Faith's two half-sisters, Enid, loves to ask when Faith will, again, become the "lady of the house."Having grown up an orphan, Faith cherishes her new family, teasing and all. When she learns that Lord Rockglass is going to Bombay to bring back yet another illegitimate daughter, Millie, who is almost as old as Faith, she hopes to have a step-sister to love. Sadly, her Robin's Egg Stone hints that Millie, now the bearer of the caustic and influential Grey Celestine, detests Faith, although the two have yet to meet.Faith's mother, Blanche, newly delivered of Lord Rockglass' firstborn son (at least the first he's had in this segment of his unending life), demands to accompany her paramour to India. Faith slides into her dreams and visions, which show her the ugly and antagonistic side of the woman who did not raise her, which does not make Faith feel any better about Millie's impending arrival. At least her younger half-sister, Bella, and baby Cutler, Jr. come to Rockglass Manor, increasing Faith's treasured family circle.Tragedy comes in the form of illness, and it touches Faith in more than one way. She learns that she serves a purveyor of magical stones, dispatching them to new bearers when the old ones have passed on. She also finds that the Silver Knife, which she thought belonged to her mother, has attached itself to her. Faith doesn't mind, but her Robin's Egg Stone resents it, although it continues to offer her guidance.No one can believe it when Margaret, an unabashed tomboy, agrees to marry Hubert Doublemore, the stout and sensible heir to an age-old winery in France called Deux Raisins. Before Faith can digest this, Margaret is gone to Nantes. Faith distracts herself preparing for her own simple wedding, planned by Lady Rockglass, her kindly and, thankfully, lucid aunt, and Jack, who manages much of what goes on at Rockglass Manor, including Faith's uncle's many lucrative business endeavors. Alas, tragedy strikes again, sending Faith and Jack to France for what should have been their honeymoon. They find out about a ruthless crime organization called the Camilianos and see that they are in for a fight that could become increasingly deadly. Members of the household at Rockglass Manor stand to inherit the winery, but the local gendarmes and the estate lawyer fear the Camilianos too much to help Faith and her siblings claim what is theirs. With the help of Admiral Chambers, an old family friend, Jack and Margaret's grandfather, the disgraced solicitor Arthur Moore, plan a trip to Nantes to drive the Camilianos from their property. Faith wants to be involved, but the men will not allow it. With the "help" of Millie, Faith finds herself heading to France in a rickety clipper ship to warn Jack and the other men of danger, but they run into trouble at sea. Faith finds herself flung into the Atlantic Ocean. It's February, and she is wearing heavy clothes. Thankfully, her Silver Knife proves itself invaluable, and Faith lands, eventually, on the sand, in the form of a woman named Fay.Her Robin's Egg Stone is no help, for it is borne by Faith, not Fay. As she strives to survive, she hears voices calling, some worried, some amused, but none matter, as she does not know who the voices belong to. Even as Fay is rescued by a mysterious dark-haired man and his two children, she fails to remember anything about her life as Faith Sylvester. She does not remember Jack. She does not remember Rockglass Manor.She does not remember anything.
