In 1707, Scotland was in turmoil. The country was joined in an uneasy union with England. It was a time of religious strife with Protestants and Catholics at war with each other. France was also a player planning to send the Stuart heir back to Scotland to reclaim his kingdom.
In an attempt to sooth the Scots, Queen Anne provided funds to compensate the Scots for their part in the disastrous Darien scheme. Lily Aitcheson has had a difficult life. Her early upbringing was a series of different family where abuse was often present. During this time, she met Jaime Graeme, her best friend. He was killed during the Darien scheme and now she is trying to claim his compensation. The problem is that she cannot prove she was married to Jaime.
Adam Williamson and his friend Gilroy have been assigned to question her about her marriage and determine whether she is entitled to the compensation. The story revolves around the questioning with flashbacks to the late 17th century where we learn about Lily’s early life. Clearly, Adam is fascinated by Lily, but he also has his duty.
The story is primarily told by Adam so the book details his early life as well as Lily’s. I thought both characters were well developed. The author did a good job of showing the tension between them. The book is rather slow with lots of detail about the political situation, but there are twists that keep the story interesting. It’s hard to guess the ending.
I received this book from Net Galley for this review.
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