Deedee Nevers

Clifford, the second son of Earl Arthur and Countess Amelia of Highcliff, and Sabine, the only child of their friends and neighbors, Earl Eric and Countess Eleanor of Highrock, have been friends since their early childhood; ever since Clifford rescued Sabine from drowning when she was seven and he was nine. Over the years that followed, the two not only developed a deep friendship, but eventually and inevitably fell in love; much to the delight of their respective parents-but also to the chagrin not only of Clifford's twin brother Harold (born just minutes before Clifford), but also of Desmond, the oldest son of Earl James of Pendelton.
Both of them have aspirations on Sabine, not just motivated by an ever-growing sexual interest, but also because of their ambitions with regards to the Highrock Estate. When Clifford disappears without a trace on his way to London to visit an ailing aunt, Sabine is heartbroken. She, as well as her and Clifford's parents, do everything they can to  find him. But in the end it is only Sabine who still holds onto the knowledge that he is still alive.
Her determination to find him has her fight tooth and nail against the resistance from those who should be supporting her, and eventually reveals the shocking truth about what happened to the man she's never stopped loving.