"It takes a lot to unnerve Captain John Staple, a man with a reputation for audacious exploits and whimsical nonsense. But when he finds himself mired on the moors--on a dark and stormy night, no less!--John hardly expects to find a young, frightened boy who's been left alone to tend a toll gatehouse. Never one to pass up an adventure, John decides to take up residence in Derbyshire as a gatekeeper until he can find the lad's father. But as John investigates the suspicious disappearance, he begins to unravel a far more complex mystery. And at its center is a woman--the very one to tame John's reckless spirit" -- from publisher's web site.