This book is one of the best I have ever read! I loved the setting of South Africa, of the anguish of the Zulu war in 1879 and how the missionaries serving the Lord were martyered. A decade goes by and in Grimston Way, England we find Evy Varley, the niece of the local vicar, and the daughter of the missionaries who were martyered.
Basically, this is her story.
Rogan Chantry is the handsome future squire who lives in a maginficent mansion just down the road from Evy's uncle's rectory. I loved the romantic dynamics between Evy and Rogan as they grow up pursuing their dreams. Rogan goes to South Africa to locate the gold mine that his deceased uncle had claimed to find. Evy's dream is to become a music teacher. She was expected to marry the curate's son Derwent Brown but in spite of her logic she finds herself growing more and more fond of the squire's son. Rogan, in delving into his family's past, discovers a link from the mysterious Black Diamond to Evy's mother and his uncle Henry - both deceased. [of course, the reader already knows that fact and is waiting for Evy & Rogan to discover it] Not only does Evy discover who her mother really is but she also now discovers that the same mother is accused of stealing the missing Black Diamond. Evy must clear her name so she sets out to prove Rogan wrong. But what she finds out is not what she expects or hoped for; her aunt and uncle had concealed the truth about her parents and that Rogan had his own reasons to seek the missing diamond.
A well-written story of danger, romance, mystery and suspense.
Basically, this is her story.
Rogan Chantry is the handsome future squire who lives in a maginficent mansion just down the road from Evy's uncle's rectory. I loved the romantic dynamics between Evy and Rogan as they grow up pursuing their dreams. Rogan goes to South Africa to locate the gold mine that his deceased uncle had claimed to find. Evy's dream is to become a music teacher. She was expected to marry the curate's son Derwent Brown but in spite of her logic she finds herself growing more and more fond of the squire's son. Rogan, in delving into his family's past, discovers a link from the mysterious Black Diamond to Evy's mother and his uncle Henry - both deceased. [of course, the reader already knows that fact and is waiting for Evy & Rogan to discover it] Not only does Evy discover who her mother really is but she also now discovers that the same mother is accused of stealing the missing Black Diamond. Evy must clear her name so she sets out to prove Rogan wrong. But what she finds out is not what she expects or hoped for; her aunt and uncle had concealed the truth about her parents and that Rogan had his own reasons to seek the missing diamond.
A well-written story of danger, romance, mystery and suspense.
