Merry widow
(Book)

"The Merry Widow sweeps us back to the year 1855 - from the Arctic's shimmering frozen wasteland to the glittering ballrooms of New York's elite - and into the life of a daring woman who journeys through both to claim the elusive man she loves..." "When her father dies, Rachel Howland finds herself alone on Canada's remote Herschel Island, desperately longing for civilization. Running his ramshackle saloon in the frigid North is far from the life Rachel envisions for herself - especially when she loses her heart to explorer Noel Magnus. But Magnus's sweet kisses are accompanied by promises of marriage that Rachel fears he will never fulfill." "A wealthy New York publisher, Magnus gave up an elegant bachelor's existence to lead an Arctic expedition in search of the doomed Franklin party - and the famed black opal Franklin reportedly found. Lovely Rachel is the reason he docks at Herschel Island whenever he can. But the tundra is a far more demanding mistress than any woman, and when he doesn't return home, New York society believes it has taken his life. Magnus is willing to let the world mourn his "death" if it means conquering the Arctic - and retrieving the opal." "Only Rachel knows where the gem is hidden. Convinced that her dream of a life with Magnus can never be realized, Rachel decides to pursue what her errant lover has rejected - his New York home and her own happiness. But the modest cottage Rachel imagined is an opulent mansion, and the quiet existence she dreams of as his "widow" is immediately complicated by new demands. Rachel never dreams that Magnus - who is furious that he must choose between the lure of adventure and the "wife" who has stolen his heart - will one day follow her."--BOOK JACKET.