Just barely escaped from the harrowing Feldspar Asylum for the mad, now 20 year old Robert Veery finds himself homeless in 1820s London. He is taken in by lonely sailor, Bart Skate. Robert haunted by what he witnessed at the asylum, struggles to tell his new friend what happened to him. After hearing Bart's uncanny story, Robert resolves to go after Jasper Throne, the serial killer who killed his friend Felix, among other victims. The only trouble is that Robert himself is still rather ill. Bart worries if Robert's obsession with bringing Thorne won't kill him first.
At the same time in Paris, Wren finds herself in a familiar position. After falling for the handsome and charming Claude Martin, she carries on a secret affair with him for several months. Claude has several secrets of his own that even his lifelong friend, Francois doesn't know about him. When Wren finds herself pregnant out of wedlock for a second time, she despairs. Is she doomed to repeat her unfortunate past or will things be different with Claude?
Back at Dove Grove, the winter fevers have taken their toll. Alexander finds himself a widower following Victoria's death. Harold watches his sensible older brother give over to grief. With Alexander nearly put out, Harold feels that he must watch over his young nieces- Robert's Cecilia and Alexander's Emma- and attempt to help Alexander through the grieving process as best he can.
This book is the second in The Veerys of Dove Grove series. It is told from alternating view points from Robert, Wren, Alexander, Harold and several other characters. This volume covers the years 1821 to 1827. The original draft was written in 2018 and 2019.