Jack has been detailed to discover the identity of the Wraith because it appears that “he” has stolen an important letter containing information which could be very damaging to the king. For by night, Anne Wilder is Wrexall’s Wraith, a burglar who is renowned in society for “his” audacity in targeting the wealthiest among the ton.Ĭolonel Jack Seward was born in an Edinburgh workhouse and removed from there at a young age by Henry Jamison – one of the Home Office’s most powerful officials (and possibly Jack’s father) who raised and trained him, turning him into a spy and lethal killer. The problem is that while many pledge money, many also renege on their promises.īut Anne is nothing if not determined and when people default, she simply steals the money or the equivalent in jewelry from them instead. The home is in desperate need of funds and Anne uses her position as companion to a popular young débutante to solicit donations from members of the ton. In the years since her husband’s death, Anne has tried to assuage her guilt by establishing the Charitable Society for Soldiers’ Relief and Aid, a home for war veterans and the families of soldiers who died and now have nowhere else to go and no means of support.
She feels an immense burden of guilt over the fact that she could not love him as he wanted to be loved and, in his final letter, Wilder more or less told her he had gone to war in order to relieve her of his presence and the pretence of loving him. Wilder was held in high esteem by everybody who knew him and appears to have been the perfect man and the perfect husband although it’s clear from the outset that Anne’s opinion of him differs from everybody else’s. He was an inexperienced sailor and yet somehow managed to land himself a commission, which resulted in his death and the death of almost his entire crew. The hero and heroine are both emotionally damaged and their relationship – at the outset – is based on lust and sexual obsession rather than tenderness or love.Īnne is the respectable widow of Matthew Wilder, a naval officer who died in the Napoleonic War.
Originally published in 1997, All Through the Night is often described as being quite dark in tone for a historical romance and it’s easy to understand why.
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