Description

He demanded respect. She demanded he wipe his boots.
Captain Arthur Sterling is a man of precise order. A rising star in the Royal Army, he values rank, discipline, and the polished cobblestones of London. But after a dockside accident leaves him with a shattered leg and his ship sails without him, Arthur is stranded on the one place on earth he despises: the chaotic, humid island of Nevis.
Abandoned by his regiment and stripped of his dignity, Arthur is forced to recover in the guest house of Clara Vance, the island's wealthiest—and most formidable—widow.
Clara has no patience for self-pitying soldiers. As the owner of a thriving shipping business, she deals in margins and manifests, not bruised egos. She agrees to house the invalid Captain only to settle a debt owed to the local magistrate, but she refuses to pamper him.
Trapped in Clara's world of vibrant colors and sharp tongues, Arthur is forced to confront his own prejudices. But when a corrupt trade official threatens to dismantle Clara's livelihood, Arthur must decide: will he use his remaining influence to save the "provincial" woman who challenges him at every turn? Or will he seize the first ship back to England and the life he was born to lead?