William Arkwright, the master of Liversedge Mill, is a proud yet lonely man. The mill seems to be his only interest in life and his young step-sister Caroline is the only person able to bring a smile to his face. But Liversedge Mill is in trouble as the Luddite rebellion sweepings through the north. Workers are conspiring to smash machines and terrorise their masters. Mary Lister, Caroline's new governess, arrives on a night of violence and death. Having been forced by the snowy track to travel the last part of her journey in a small farm waggon, crouched under a tarpaulin, Mary is confronted by uproar. The Luddites somehow discover that the wagon in which Mary was a passenger was carrying shearing frames - and they are out to smash the lot ... Shaken and confused Mary finally reaches the Mill. Confronted by her haughty employer, Mary is determined not to let William's over-bearing nature ruin her spirits. During the stormy weeks that follow her arrival, Mary is torn between her sympathy for the poor and downtrodden of the rebellion and her unwilling admiration for the inimitable Master of Liversedge. Who will she side with? Her head or her heart. Alice Chetwynd Ley (1913 - 2004) was a British writer of romance novels. She was the sixth elected Chairman (1971-1973) of the Romantic Novelists' Association and was named honour life member. Her other titles include 'The Guinea Stamp', 'The Georgian Rake' and 'The Jewelled Snuff Box'.