"Susannah Leyton has grown up behind the counter of her father's apothecary shop, surrounded by the resinous scents of lavender, rosemary, liquorice and turpentine. More learned than any apprentice, she concocts soothing medicines and ointments with great skill, and impresses even the austere and brooding Doctor William Ambrose with her medical knowledge. Content with her life, Susannah is shocked when her widowed father announces his intention to marry again, and she becomes embroiled in a battle of wills with her new stepmother. When Susannah receives a proposal of marriage from William's handsome and charming cousin Henry Savage, she believes her prayers have been answered. But Henry is a complex and troubled man, haunted by memories of life on his father's plantation in Barbados. As the plague sweeps through London, tragedy strikes, and the secrets of Henry's past begin to unfold. For Susannah, nothing can ever be the same again..."-- Publisher.