Brenda Hasse
Lady Averly yearns for the day when she will receive the respect deserving of her royal title. At seventeen, she has spent nearly a decade as a servant working in the kitchen of Holbrook. After her hand in marriage is sold to the highest bidder, she risks her life for a chance at happiness by fleeing into the darkness of the night. She finds herself in the kingdom of Tildenham and is welcomed by its handsome lord to live amongst the few peasants who survived a devasting attack on their village. The peasants within the Great Hall of Tildenham do not recognize the woman who dresses like one of their own, yet wears a royal cloak. Drawn to her beauty, Lord Edwin suspects there is more to her than she is willing to reveal and is determined to discover the truth.Unwilling to lose the large dowry in exchange for her stepdaughter’s hand in marriage, Lady Miriam is desperate to find Lady Averly. As the garrison searches Holbrook and adjoining kingdoms, she devises a plan to locate and return her to collect the dowry.To protect her identity, Lady Averly must resist the ever-pursuing charm of Lord Edwin. As her heart softens to his affections, will she allow herself the happiness she has longed for, or will she be discovered and remain a pawn in her stepmother’s evil scheme?
