
Betrothed against her will to someone she could never love, she ardently desired the one man she was forbidden to see. When wealthy, self-willed Fiona Rutherfield meets handsome Bill Lindsey one fateful Scottish spring day, she little suspects that the encounter will change her life. Before long, the forceful young Merchant Navy captain’s quiet dynamism begins to exercise a powerful attraction for her. But Fiona is already engaged to the colourless Philippe. Her father, the head of the Anglia Line, forbidden her to see - let alone marry - the young captain with whom she was so passionately in love. And since it was an Anglia ship that Bill commanded it was in her father's power to break him if they defied his orders. Her stern father’s commands and the onset of World War seem to end any thoughts of being with Bill. Then, in exotic wartime Casablanca, Bill enters her life once more, wounded in action at sea, and Fiona is faced with a choice every woman fear: between her passions - and her duty…
Fiona Rutherfield faces a conflict between her forced engagement to a man she dislikes and her intense attraction to a merchant captain forbidden by her father. Fiona must navigate the rigid social expectations of her wealthy family and the professional power her father holds over her lover, Bill Lindsey. The narrative follows her struggle as she attempts to reconcile her personal desires with the external pressures of her father's authority and the global instability of World War II. The story utilizes a third-person perspective to track Fiona's movement from Scotland to the wartime environment of Casablanca, highlighting the physical and social barriers that separate her from the man she loves.
Readers often identify this work as a classic example of mid-century romantic fiction that prioritizes emotional stakes over complex political analysis. Discussion frequently centers on the protagonist's agency within the restrictive social structures of her time and the effectiveness of the wartime setting in heightening the drama. Critics highlight the author's ability to maintain a consistent pace while balancing the tension of the forbidden romance against the backdrop of global conflict. Many readers appreciate the straightforward narrative style that focuses on the central dilemma of duty versus personal fulfillment.
Page Count:
256
Publication Date:
1971-01-01
Publisher:
Arrow Books
ISBN-10:
0090052803
ISBN-13:
9780090052806
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