<p>Left on the verge of starvation by her dissolute father's gambling and drinking, the beautiful but resourceful young Syringa Melton is at her wits' end.<br>Not only has their delightful Manor House and all its contents been put up for sale at auction to pay off his huge debts, but also her beloved horse, Mercury.<br>When the rakishly handsome Earl of Rothingham overhears her sobbing to Mercury in a last desperate farewell, his heart ...