Hugh D'Abernon, Marquis of Darley, posing as a Tatar, meets Aurore Clement when her carriage breaks down outside Sevastopol in 1855. She is the owner of a local vineyard and an independent noblewoman. Neither is interested in marriage. She fears losing her independence, and he is afraid of losing someone he loves since his wife died in childbirth. They launch a passionate affair that is presumed to be transitory until they are caught spying, forcing them to flee the Crimea. They eventually quarrel and separate; then Aurore realizes that she is pregnant. Will Hugh overcome his fear and marry her? The romantic story is mostly an excuse for lots of lovingly detailed sex, but Johnson does consider how difficult it was for a nobleman to find love within the bored upper class, with only war to point out how fleeting life could be.--Chelton, Mary K. Copyright 2008 Booklist