Neva's three lovers: a novel

Sir Harold Wynde, a distinguished baronet with a comfortable fortune and a respectable family, spends his evenings on the Brighton pier, content to watch the sunset and ignore the bustling society that surrounds him. His solitary reverie is shattered when a small pleasure‑boat suddenly capsizes, the victim a striking woman draped in a vivid scarlet shawl whose intent gaze had been fixed upon him moments before. The accidental—or perhaps deliberate—crash draws a crowd, and Harold finds himself thrust into a scene that promises to disturb the quiet order of his life.

From that moment, the baronet’s world begins to intersect with a circle of intriguing characters, each bearing their own ambitions and secrets. As rumors swirl and new acquaintances appear, Harold is forced to confront desires and obligations he thought long settled. The opening sets a tone of genteel intrigue, hinting at romantic entanglements and the ripple effects of a single, fateful splash on the sea.