Hailed for her remarkably accomplished and poignant work (Washington Post), acclaimed author Elizabeth McGregor returns with a haunting love story about two lost souls brought together by chanceand bonded forever by a mystery that transcends madness, tragedy, and time itself.... Catherine Sergeant is adept at going through the motions. After losing her parents at an early age, she buried her grief in the study of antiquities. Now, deserted by her husband without warning or explanation, she reports to work at Pearsons auction house, exchanging pleasantries with colleagues, never revealing her pain. Cocooned in loneliness, she couldnt be more surprised to find herself opening up to a total strangera new client, no less. In widowed architect John Brigham, Catherine finds a kindred spirit. The two share a fascination with Richard Dadd, an early Victorian painter who lived most of his life incarcerated in an insane asylum. There he produced his most stunning worksworks that have deeply moved Catherine and now draw her inexorably to John. Soon the two are falling in love. The reawakening of passion in a woman like Catherine is more than John ever hoped for. But when she discovers his possession of an unknown Dadd, it is just the first in a series of revelations that leave her wondering if she knows this man who has shown her lifes true beauty. For John, it may be a last chance to free himself from the priceless secrets he has been harboring too long. Secrets about a soul laid bare on canvas, and a legacy that could shatter all he holds dear in the space of a heartbeat A compelling blend of human drama, art, and history, this intriguing tale casts a spell that lingers far beyond the final pageand celebrates the strength we all must find within our hearts.
Jo Harper desconoce que enamorarse del heterodoxo arqueólogo Doug Marshall supone también adentrarse en la obsesión de Doug: la desaparición de la expedición Franklin. Sir John Franklin y su tripulación embarcaron en el año 1845 rumbo al Ártico y nunca más se supo de ellos. Doug ha dedicado su carrera a investigar el paredero de las embarcaciones y el motivo de la desaparición, sacrificando incluso su primer matrimonio y la relación con su hijo John. Pero mientra él y Jo planean un futuro en común, un devastador accidente truncará sus vidas. John, atormentado por el accidente de su padre, decide adentrarse en los páramos helados del Ártico en busca de respuestas que aporten luz al destino de la expedición Franklin y a sus propio pasado. Jo, desesperada por encontrar a John, aprenderá que su destino esta íntimamente ligado a la expedición Franklin.