Before she was the icy, jilted ex-fiancée in The Chronos Clock, Demetra Ashdown was very much in love with Lord Francis Winterton, who was just as smitten with her. So why did he have to fight so hard to win back her affections three years later? Because of the infamous incident with “the gun”. A half-infernal – one of the races of Aetherals – the hunt for Aetheric artifacts is Demetra’s obsession in life. And Francis is not sure he can accept the dangers inherent in her work, especially when he almost loses his beloved to a family heirloom. This short story prequel offers a peek of a young and carefree Demetra, her engagement to Francis, the event that drove them apart, and one too many avian analogies.

In 1892 Victorian London, Demetra Ashdown is a half-daemon with the ability to locate and draw Aetheric artifacts to her. When her former fiancé’s valet is held hostage and will only be released in exchange for a device with the power to control time, she must act quickly to save a man’s life. Armed with only her razor-edged fan and equally sharp wit, she feels it is her duty to ensure that the potentially-devastating device does not fall into the wrong hands. In addition to this dilemma, she must determine if she both trusts and loves the man to whom she was once betrothed. Lord Francis Winterton not only broke her heart, but also appears to have betrayed her to the ruthless people in search of this powerful artifact. With close friend and inventor Simon Warom at her side, Demetra begins her adventure: the hunt for the clock that will save the life of the valet, and thus prevent Francis from transgressing the limits of fashionable good taste.

Return to the world of THE CHRONOS CLOCK for the continuing adventures of Demetra Ashdown: Saving the world from power-obsessed madmen is all in a day’s work for half-daemon artifact hunter Demetra Ashdown. It’s her potential mother-in-law who proves most vexing. Yet, Demetra is determined to charm her, even if that means a journey around the world for answers to the most perplexing questions, such as what is the difference between infernals, like herself, and celestials, like her fiancé, Francis? Can they marry, despite being from disparate bloodlines? And just how much lemon cake does it take to keep Demetra happy? Whether by railway, steamer, or airship, Demetra and Francis will not rest until they can allay Lady Winterton’s concerns about their union. Nor will they realize the unimaginable discovery or danger to which their inquiries will lead until a chance meeting leads to a long overdue reunion…

Aetherals are disappearing, and Demetra's half-sister is among the missing. It's up to her and her friends to figure out who is kidnapping them and why in this conclusion to the Aetheric Artifacts series. There also remains the question of whether or not Francis' mother will permit their wedding, or continue to fight it. However, what Lady Winterton has to say on the matter will startle even the unflappable Demetra. In the midst of astonishing family revelations, Demetra must once again form a difficult alliance with a certain government official to solve the riddle of the aetheral abductions, as well as dodge the advances of a handsome Scotland Yard detective, and answer the perennial is there ever a wrong time to eat cake?