INTRIGUE. TENSION. LOVE AFFAIRS: In The Historical Romance series, a set of stand-alone novels, Vivian Stuart builds her compelling narratives around the dramatic lives of sea captains, nurses, surgeons, and members of the aristocracy. Stuart takes us back to the societies of the 20th century, drawing on her own experience of places across Australia, India, East Asia, and the Middle East. When Harriet went to Spencer's Hospital she had no professional regrets, but it would mean the renewal of her love affair with Randall Spencer; and after more than two years' separation she had every reason to believe that Randall was a very different person from the man she had known.