Rose of the World

A seasoned officer of the Guides, Raymond Bethune has spent years carving his place on the rugged frontiers of Kashmir, his loyalty to the Empire as solid as the stone walls he patrols. Yet beneath the discipline of his duty lies a quiet yearning, a pull toward the familiar comforts of home that surfaces whenever the heat of the Indian summer fades into evening. The novel paints his world with vivid contrasts—storm‑swept mountains against the glittering rose‑jewelled town below, and the disciplined cadence of a soldier’s life against the lingering echo of English gardens.

When Bethune is summoned to the lieutenant‑governor’s palace for a gathering in Lady Gerardine’s drawing‑room, the space is a careful transplant of English elegance amidst the Indian heat. It is here, amid Chippendale furniture and the scent of Chelsea china, that a young, spirited musician bursts in, her presence both startling and intriguing. Her determined entrance promises a clash of worlds that will test Bethune’s resolve and stir the dormant feelings he has tried to keep at bay.