Set in Sussex in 1793, The Talisman Ring follows the French émigrée Eustacie de Vauban, who runs away rather than accept an arranged marriage to the composed Sir Tristram Shield. She soon encounters her fugitive cousin Ludovic, accused of murder and dispossessed of both his inheritance and a valuable family ring.
With the adventurous Sarah Thane and the reluctant assistance of Sir Tristram, Eustacie attempts to uncover the truth. Smugglers, excise officers, Bow Street Runners and a hidden murderer turn the romantic comedy into a historical mystery shaped by the dangers of the Georgian coast and the upheaval of the French Revolution.