The summer afternoon begins like any other on Southport's seafront, until Cambridge undergraduate Raife Remington spots a mysterious girl walking her little dog. Gilda Tempest is unlike anyone he has ever met - beautiful, brooding, carrying hints of a turbulent life with an uncle who drags her across Europe. Their instant attraction is complicated by a violent encounter with an aggressive dog, which Raife bravely intervenes to stop. But when Gilda learns his family name, something shifts - a shadow passes across her face. Before their connection can deepen, urgent news summons Raife home, where he discovers his father has been murdered. Now the young undergraduate must untangle a web of secrets while navigating his growing feelings for a girl who knows far more about tragedy than she ever admitted. Le Queux weaves romance and suspense in this 1916 sensation novel, where first love collides with dark family mystery against the faded elegance of the Edwardian seaside.
