This is a 'Romeo and Juliet' type story of a wealthy corrupt financier, Ryder, whose son falls in love with the daughter of an honest judge. When Ryder frames the judge for accepting a bribe, it's up to the young star-crossed lovers to clear the judge's name. But can they ever melt Ryder's cold heart and overcome the enmity between their families?

I loved this story! I really cared about Jefferson and Shirley from the beginning, and I loved seeing their relationship develop. Shirley is a fantastic heroine- brave, generous, intelligent, calculating, elegantly dignified, and beautifully loyal. She's really uses her wit against the men, and holds her own in a society that didn't give women the respect they deserved. She had some wonderful dialogue. By the end of the book, I was cheering for her!

This book started out extra slow, but gained momentum as it went along. The author is extremely long-winded, so I learned to entirely skip the lengthy descriptive passages, and only read the dialogue and action. I also skipped all the socialist philosophizing.

Overall, a delightful story! I love these old-fashioned tales.