The claimant - Douglas Skeggs

The Fetevis Palace outside Budapest is derelict. Abandoned after the Russians rid Hungary of the Nazi invaders, but now the communist regime has vanished the original family are able to reclaim their estate. But who are the heirs? The last Count Kascinsky is dead, broken by years of imprisonment. His brother had fled to America in 1945 where he had capitalised on the family's steel interests and left a multi-billion dollar fortune to his son, Zoltan. Zoltan is certain his is the only legitimate claim to the once magnificent palace and the site where he witnessed the burial of the family treasure. But there is a rival claim, a woman who asserts she is the daughter of the late count, born in wedlock but brought up by foster parents. With his wealth and influence Zoltan attempts to suppress all proof of Terezia's identity, but he has not reckoned on her tempestuous determination nor on the intervention of a British diplomat. And Terezia is unaware that another part of her legacy is an age-old feud between her father and a local official. Set in a country of powerful emotions and redolent in history, this is a suspense story of excitement, romance and thrilling escapism.