Thrown together on a voyage to Africa's fever-ridden shores, Dr Robyn Ballantyne and the master of the vessel, Mungo St John, battle with all the fury of natural enemies, and love with the desperation of those unable to evade the commands of fate. Originally published: London: Heinemann, 1980

A new empire is rising It is 1744, and Nicholas Ballantyne, a young Scotsman dreaming of a life as laird of his ancestral estate finds himself quite unexpectedly on the Winchester, a ship bound for Hindustan, seeking to begin a new life as a ?writer? on the rolls of the British East India Company. On board, he meets the spirited and mercurial Robert Clive, determined - at whatever cost - to make a fortune in a land of opportunity. Over the years,...