[Britomart]

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The Danbury Scandals US DE by Mary Nichols (Mills & Boon 1992).

When Maryanne Paynter is ten, her beloved mother dies and she is taken by her great uncle to live with the Reverend Mr Cudlipp at Beckford. Her life is unexceptional until, a little before her twenty-first birthday, Viscount Danbury takes her to Castle Cedars, the country estate of the Duke of Wiltshire where she is taken to see the Dowager Duchess, a frail, bedridden old lady who is apparently anxious to make her acquaintance. Furious with the way she is treated Maryanne runs from the house, only to fall into the arms of a mysterious man walking through the woods who seems unusually interested in the occupants of Castle Cedars. She is unsure whether he is a gypsy, a poacher or an escaped prisoner of war, for the war with Napoleon has just ended with the dictator’s defeat and imprisonment of the island of Elba.
Later, she learns that her mother was the daughter of the fifth Duke of Wiltshire, who disowned her when she married a man of whom they disapproved. But now the old man is dead and the dowager is anxious to bring Maryanne back into the family. Instead of returning to the rectory, she is to live with Viscount Danbury and his son, Mark, and spoiled daughter, Caroline.
It is the beginning of a new and bewildering life, not made easier by old scandals and the occasional reappearance of the intriguing man she met in the wood, who seems to have a string of pseudonyms and disguises. There is mystery and danger, a proposal and more scandal and Maryanne, in the thick of it, does not know whom to trust. Mark or the man who calls himself variously le Choucas, Jack Daw or Adam St Pierre?

Summer's Storm US DE by Denise Domning (Topaz 1994).

Philippa of Lindhurst has lived twelve terrible years at the hands of an abusive husband. Now, with no hope of rescue in sight, Philippa meets her half-sister's brother by marriage, Temric FitzHenry. Temric, a bastard son of Lord Graiston has come to bring Philippa to an audience with the bishop. But when Temric realizes it is Philippa who has haunted his dreams, and sees the way she is mistreated by her cruel husband, he devises a plan to make Philippa his. It is a risky and elaborate plan, but when Temric learns that Philippa returns his love he is determined to make her disappear. It is a time of strict morals, however, and both Temric and Pippa know they have sinned and must somehow deal with both their fears of damnation and the fear of Philippa's existence being revealed, thus resulting in her death by her husband hand. The couple's problems mount until they must inevitably result in a battle to the death between Temric and Lord Lindhurst. But before the couple can live in peace, they must still find a way to keep Philippa's existence a secret while still being able to marry with permission from the church!

The Starry Child US DE by Lynn Hanna (Onyx 1998). - repeat freebie

If you enjoy the extraordinary stories of Diana Gabaldon, Karen Marie Moning, and the paranormal works of Nora Roberts...

THE STARRY CHILD is a spell-binding, unforgettable story of a star-crossed love that survives through the ages, a tale as timeless as the mystic Scottish legends and forbidden lovers among the heather of long ago. Yet it is as vibrant and alive in the present day as those whose fates now hang in the balance. It's the story of a young mother who learns that her own destiny is forever tied to a man she hardly knows, a man of the Highlands. Yet in her heart, she realizes that he's someone she has always known. And at the center of it all lies an undying love held in secret by a little girl.

Since the tragic death of her father, eight-year-old Sasha Nielson has not spoken a word. Her mother, Rainey, has taken her to doctors and therapists, but medical science has not found the cause or the cure for Sasha’s silence. There are days when her behavior is baffling, even potentially dangerous, particularly during lightning storms. The authorities threaten to take Sasha away and time is running out.

One man sees beyond Sasha’s mysteries. Matt Macinnes is a gifted professor of ancient languages, a man who senses that there is a key to Sasha’s silence, that she may in fact be guarding a secret of such profound and terrifying dimensions that it staggers the imagination. Only Matt can get Sasha to whisper her secrets, secrets she reveals to him in Old Gaelic, a language she has never had access to. Could this All-American little girl truly be carrying around the restless soul of an exiled Celtic queen of old?

More than that, Matt finds himself drawn to Rainey's amazing strength and beauty. He feels ties to her that he can't explain. But her protective instincts toward little Sasha have built a fortress around her heart, a barrier that only hard-won trust and absolute proof of his worthiness can tear down. He is devoted to both mother and daughter, but the mystery of Sasha's secret destiny must be solved before he can reveal the passionate truth that burns within him.

Rainey has fought to keep Sasha safe from the cruelty and ignorance of the world. She has tried everything to help Sasha overcome her silence, but in the end, Sasha's wordlessness has prevailed and stress and exhaustion are Rainey's constant companions. She can't fix things by herself, but she doesn't dare trust anyone else for fear others have a dark agenda that could lead to the loss of Sasha. Matt is very tempting. Aside from the fact that he has an almost mystical kind of attraction about him, it would be very easy to simply hand him her heart and her impossible responsibilities and let him take over for a while. Added to that, Sasha adores him at first sight. But is Matt only helping them in order to earn himself professional recognition and a hefty university grant? How can she deny being drawn to him with every breath she takes as if she has known and loved him for a thousand years? How can she dare to trust him when not only her heart is at stake, but Sasha's heart is in the balance as well?