The Civil War had swept away her wealth. Chess has only her pride and a patent on a tobacco machine that needs the right man to fulfill its promise. With a heart committed to another man's wife and a raging ambition, Nate Richardson agrees to marry Chess. It seems they both get what they want. But the bargain will plunge them into a world of cutthroat deals and raw passions.
Alexandra Ripley, née Braid (January 8, 1934 – January 10, 2004) was an American writer best known as the author of Scarlett (1991), written as a sequel to Gone with the Wind. Her first novel was Who's the Lady in the President's Bed? (1972). Charleston (1981), her first historical novel, was a bestseller, as were her next books On Leaving Charleston (1984), The Time Returns (1985), and New Orleans Legacy (1987).
*courtesy of Wikipedia* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Ripley
