When Miss Emma Crayle suddenly found herself at the bedside of the wealthy Sir Adrian Denver, she received a most unexpected invitation of marriage to the man. How could she refuse? He had always been nothing short of fair towards her, and he assured her that the marriage was to keep his fortune out of the hands of his two unreliable nephews. She soon turned into a widow of significant means, but according to Sir Adrian’s friend, she was now in grave danger. What did this warning by Mr. Julian d’Erlanger mean? After all, she knew very little of this man, and why should he even care about her fate? The unconventional love story by Jane Beaufort, a pseudonym of romance writer Ida Pollock, combines romance and intrigue.

Jane Beaufort is a pseudonym of Ida Pollock (1908 – 2013), a highly successful British writer of over 125 romance novels translated into numerous languages and published across the world. Ida Pollock has sold millions of copies over her 90-year career.

Pollock began writing when she was 10 years old. Ida has travelled widely, living in several different countries. She continues to be popular amongst both her devoted fan base and new readers alike. Pollock has been referred to as the 'world's oldest novelist' who was still active at 105 and continued writing until her death.

On the occasion of her 105th birthday, Pollock was appointed honorary vice-president of the Romantic Novelists' Association, having been one of its founding members.

Ida Pollock wrote in a wide variety of pseudonyms: Joan M. Allen, Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Averil Ives, Anita Charles, Barbara Rowan, Jane Beaufort, Rose Burghley, Mary Whistler and Marguerite Bell.