A Rose In Winter

The fairest flower in Mawbry is Erienne Fleming, the enchanting, raven-haired daughter of the village mayor. Charming, spirited and exquisitely lovely, she is beset on all sides by suitors, any one of whom would pay a king's fortune for a place in her heart. But Erienne has eyes for only one: the dashing and witty young Yankee, Christopher Seton. But marriage for love is not to be, for her irresponsible and unscrupulous father, crippled by gambling debts, is intent on auctioning off his beautiful daughter to the highest bidder. And in the end, Erienne is devastated to find it is the strange and secretive Lord Saxton who has purchased her—a mysterious, tragic figure who wears a mask and a cloak at all times to hide disfiguring scars gained in a terrible fire some years back. But in the passing days, Saxton's true nature is revealed to her. A gentle and adoring soul, he treats his new bride with warmth and abiding tenderness, yet appears to her only by daylight. She, in turn, vows to be a good and loyal wife to him. And then Christopher Seton reenters Erienne's world Conflicted by emotions she cannot suppress, Erienne valiantly attempts to remain honorable to her elusive, enigmatic husband but feels herself irresistibly drawn to Seton's passion, his fire, and his secrets. Entangled in intrigues she doesn't yet understand, Erienne Fleming will soon have to make a devastating choice: between love and honor . . . between her duty and her heart. Library Journal This classic early Woodiwiss, finally in hardcover, features a young woman forced to marry a rich, shrouded suitor. Erienne Fleming despairs for her future. Her father, Avery, mayor of their small town in the north of England, is awash in gambling debts. Her brother has been maimed in a foolish duel for the family's honor. It is Avery's intent to pay his debts and secure his and his son's futures by marrying off Erienne to a wealthy suitor, to which end he brings home an endless stream of aged and infirm, albeit wealthy, gentlemen. But the proud and beautiful Erienne will have none of them. Finally, Avery simply decides to sell her to the highest bidder. The only man barred from the auction is Christopher Seton, the handsome Yankee captain who wounded her brother, and with whom Erienne, against her will, is falling in love. Erienne is sold to the mysterious Lord Saxton, a sinister figure who wears a black mask to cover the hideous scars left by a fire that burned down his family mansion. At first she is terrified of him, unable to give herself to him. Her terror of her has- band only sharpens her longing for Christopher, a passion she struggles fiercely to deny. But her private dilemma is pushed aside when panic sweeps the town as the Night Rider, a demonic figure with a silver saber, begins a murderous rampage to avenge the burning of Saxton Hall. When Christopher is seriously wounded, Erienne, tenderly ministering to him, discovers an astonishing ~ secret that will threaten the future of the Saxton line itself and will put her own life in grave danger. The enchanting, raven-haired daughter of the village mayor, Erienne Fleming is the fairest bloom in her English village. And of all who desire her, she would have only one: the dashing and witty young Yankee, Christopher Seton. But a marriage for love is not to be, as Erienne is auctioned off to the highest bidder to help pay off her irresponsible father's debts. And in the end, it is the enigmatic Lord Saxton who purchases her hand - a tragic and secretive noble who hides his scars behind mask and cloak, and who only appears to her after nightfall In A rose in winter, the fairest flower in Mawbry is Erienne Fleming, the daughter of the village mayor. She is beset on all sides by suitors, but Erienne's heart belongs to one, Christopher Seton. But marriage for love is not to be. In an attempt to end his gambling debts, Erienne's father auctions her off to the mysterious Lord Saxton. The passage of time reveals a gentle and adoring husband, and Erienne vows to be a loyal wife. But Seton returns.