As Cholera sweeps through the streets of Bristol, no one is immune. Blanche and her husband Conrad Heinkel, sugar merchant and master sugar baker, are devastated when their seven-year-old daughter Anne, is taken by the deadly disease.

Lost in her own immense grief, her childhood sweetheart Tom Strong, is the only man who can heal Blanche's terrible hurt and reignite the passion for life and love that has died within her.

But Horatia Strong, daughter of the eldest Strong son, has her sights on grabbing power of the Strong family dynasty. Ambitious and more ruthless than most women, she is still desperately in love with her adoptive cousin, Tom, despite his humble birth. As her brother Nelson succumbs to his opium habit, Horatia, believes that only Tom can give her the wealth and strength to take the family businesses to new heights.

Will Tom be able to leave his romantic history with Blanche behind for the sake of the Strong family? Or will Blanche and Tom get their happy ending they deserve?

Perfect for fans of Dinah Jefferies and Fiona Valpy

Previously published as 'Just Before Dawn' by Jeannie Johnson and 'The Sugar Merchants Wife' by Erica Brown.

Don't miss the rest of the Strong Family Sagas:

1. Daughter of Destiny

2. The Sugar Merchant's Wife

3. Secrets of the Past