In a glittering London ballroom, Sir John Meredith and Lady Cantourne trade witty, weary observations as the younger generation makes its debut, and all eyes settle on Miss Millicent Chyne, the evening's belle. Her poised beauty draws two very different men: Guy Oscard, a bronzed return from Africa whose blunt honesty and rugged sincerity unsettle the room's polished ease, and Jack Meredith, the perfect society gentleman whose elegance masks a troubling emptiness. As Millicent and Jack move toward an engagement, their restrained conversation reveals a world where charm, strategy, and social performance shape even matters of the heart. Sir John, amused yet shrewd, challenges his son's motives and withholds approval, exposing the tension between duty, money, and genuine feeling. Elsewhere, the story turns darker and more urgent. In Loango, Jocelyn Gordon discovers Victor Durnovo's return and resists his attempt to force her into marriage through threats against her brother Maurice and a cruel accusation about slavery. Unshaken, she turns his own weaponry against him and drives him off. Then a messenger from Msala brings John Meredith's warning that the tribes have risen and are encircling the Plateau, prompting Jocelyn to send telegrams and riders in a desperate race to save the settlement. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.

À propos de l'auteur

Merriman, Henry Seton

Henry Seton Merriman, the pen name of Hugh Stowell Scott, was an English novelist born in 1862 and educated at Haileybury and Oxford, though his life took a very different path from the conventional academic career that might have been expected. Drawn instead to travel, observation, and the textures of public life, he moved through the worlds of journalism and fiction with unusual ease, and his short but productive career established him as one of the most readable popular novelists of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. He achieved wide recognition for energetic, fast-moving stories that combined romance, adventure, and political or social tension, often set against the backdrop of Europe and the British Empire. His fiction is notable for its clear plotting, vivid sense of place, and interest in character under pressure, especially when private desire collides with duty, ambition, or historical change. Beneath the surface excitement of his novels lies a serious concern with moral choice, imperial power, and the fragility of reputation and identity, themes that still resonate in a world shaped by public performance, global movement, and shifting social values. Merriman died young in 1903, but his work left a lasting mark on popular fiction by showing that entertainment and literary craft could coexist. Today, readers who enjoy intelligent adventure, atmospheric historical settings, and stories that move briskly while still asking larger questions about society and conscience are likely to find him especially rewarding.