Although Prescott is a bit of a dandy and has a history of a failed business and is only after Chris to gain access to her father's money, he is full of himself and confident that he can convince her to marry him. Prescott is sent along with the hopes of making Chris fall in love with him before their return. Tynan is chosen as their guide as he has experience finding his way through the rain forest which a lot of people avoided out of superstition that it is filled with ghosts. He hires two men, Asher Prescott, and a recently released ex-con, Tynan, to retrieve her from the west coast of the Washington Territory and bring her home.

Her father is fed up and wants her to return home, settle down, and raise a family. She is often assumed to be a man considering the tales she tells, and is held up in high regard and awe by the women she encounters because of her willingness to live such an audacious life. She has written articles exposing the Mexican government, spending days and nights in the company of Mexican guards before talking a guard into unlocking her cell she has infiltrated whorehouses for a story on what it's like inside brothels and is currently preparing to expose a white man for inciting 'Indians' (term used in the book) to massacre missionaries. She left home at 18 to become a newspaper reporter and has now gained a reputation as a courageous, albeit foolhardy, woman who is out to save the world. Nola Dallas, is 28 years old and has a history of finding herself caught up in dangerous situations.

The Temptressby Jude DeverauxChristiana Montgomery Mathison, a.k.a.

The Temptress by Jude Deveraux