Captain John Staple's exploits against Napoleon's armies in the Spanish Peninsula have earned him the nickname 'Crazy Jack' amongst his comrades in the Dragoon Guards.

But once the Battle of Waterloo brings the Napoleonic Wars to a decisive end, the adventure-loving Captain finds life in peacetime intolerably dull.

When he becomes lost in the Pennines, he takes refuge at an unmanned toll-house.

It's there that he encounters a lady of extraordinary qualities - and suddenly, his soldiering days pale in comparison to a new adventure in which he must rescue a woman and investigate a scandalous murder ...

'Beautifully crafted' Philippa Gregory

'Incisively witty, quietly subversive' Joanne Harris

'If you haven't read Georgette Heyer yet what a treat you have in store' Harriet Evans