From the international bestselling author of THE MASK OF TIME, THE ORIGINAL SIN and THE SEVENTH MOON comes an enchanting novel of late 19th Century Africa. Intelligent, charming and handsome, Jean-Patrice has Paris at his feet. But when he embarks on a passionate affair with the beautiful wife of a superior, his brilliant career in the Civil Service goes south. Packed off to the equatorial colony of Gabon to avoid a scandal, Jean-Patrice is plunged...