CHAPTER ONE
1889
The Earl of Cunningham was on the last stage of his morning ride, the one that brought him in sight of Cunningham Hall, the great house that had been in his family for years.
It had been built in the early 17th. century, receiving several additions over the next two hundred years. Now it stood, glowing, in the morning sun, beautiful, imposing and magnificent.
Robert, the sixth Earl, had possessed his title for eight years and filled his position so well that he was extremely popular with all his neighbours in this corner of Kent.
He was a man in the prime of life. In his early thirties, he boasted a strong, handsome face and deep blue eyes. His mouth was stern, but he could burst into sudden laughter that transformed him.
As he galloped towards his stables this morni
