It is 1802, and when her beloved father dies, Lucy Mitchell's curiosity is fired by his last words, "the de Northbys owe you". Who are the de Northbys and why do they "owe" the Mitchells? Her mother says he was too sick and confused to make sense but Lucy undertakes some investigations of her own.

Jessica Blair grew up in Middlesbrough, trained as a teacher and now lives in Ampleforth. She became a full-time writer in 1977 and has written more than 50 books under various pseudonyms.