Quite a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy of novellas about the Countess Anna von Esslin. This time Anna has been celibate for two years and, to break her drought, her beloved cousin Robert arranges for her to spend the night, blindfolded, with an excellent lover.

Anna, for some reason, can't guess who her anonymous lover is. The reader will have no trouble putting a name to the...er...well, not his face, anyhow.

In the first two novellas, I'd appreciated that James McKirnon could be as cold and ruthless as Anna herself -- but he got the better of her, twice, and I would have been unhappy if Anna hadn't won this final round. Indeed, we get a sense of how deeply James loves her, and Anna devises a scheme whereby she can decide his fate, and truly holds his life in her hands.

Anna's arrogance and pride in her high birth had been a primary obstacle to an HEA between these two. As this is the last novella in the trilogy, and Richardson does give us an HEA, she has to find an acceptable compromise for the couple. I was glad that the ultimate solution fit the countess's personality and independent nature. ( )