Duncan MacDougall, the laird of Blackstone, was cursed centuries ago to wander as a ghost within the echoing walls of his island castle - and only one woman can free him. Can it be the new mistress of Blackstone, just arrived from over the sea? Duncan has heard that pretty Miss Elizabeth Pudding is no more than a cook - and she hails from a barbarous land called the Bronx. But she must learn the ways of a lady all the same - and she must stay at Blackstone for six long months to inherit it. 'Tis time enough to teach her - and time enough to woo her. Duncan MacDougall is a tall, translucent figure with black hair and piercing blue eyes. Yet a mist separates him from the land of the living...a mist as strong as cold steel. It is said that only love can dissolve it - and bring the man of her dreams to warm, breathing life.