Inheritance / Nora Roberts.

1806. Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him. Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about – and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth – and why it was all kept secret. Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as 'the first lost bride'. It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it.