Ah, well! At least nothing else can go wrong today, thought Miss Rebecca Fossington as she made her way up the stairs of the coaching inn, a lighted candle in her hand. And thank goodness for that!

The freezing cold day in the January of 1814 had been full of trials and tribulations. In the morning Rebecca's companion, Miss Biddulph, had been taken ill and Rebecca, whose journey was urgent, had had to leave her in the care of a local apothecary. Then Rebecca's coach had become stuck in a snow drift, delaying her so badly that she had been forced to seek a room at an inn, instead of traveling on to her aunt and uncle's house in London. She had taken the last room, and as it was very cold she had told her maid to leave the unpacking until a fire had been lit and the room had warmed through. Then she had retired to the parlour for something to eat, and now she was looking forward to returning to a cheery glow and settling down for the night.

She reached the top of the stairs and turned along the corridor, glad of the flickering candle which lit her way. She reached her room and opened the door, and then stood stock still. For there, standing not six feet away from her, was a strange gentleman — in the act of undressing!

Her first thought, as she took in the unexpected apparition, was that she must have returned to the wrong room, but a glance around the apartment told her otherwise. It was the same small chamber she had taken earlier that evening, with its dark red paper on the walls and its thick rug covering the floor. The only difference was that the fire was now aglow.

Her second thought was that, if she had not mistaken the room, then the gentleman must have done so. She was about to point this out to him when he turned around and her courage faltered, for she became uncomfortably aware that he looked very like a lion. He had glowing eyes, strongly contoured features and a thick mane of tawny hair. His lithe and muscular body, clad in breeches and a half-buttoned shirt, continued the impression of a jungle animal.