Nameless ( Ruby Darke #1 )

She never forgot, and she'll never forgive . . . In 1941, mixed race Ruby Darke is born into a family that seem to hate her, but why? While her two brothers dive into a life of gangland violence, Ruby has to work in their family store. As she blossoms into a beautiful young woman she crosses paths with aristocrat Cornelius Bray, a chance meeting that will change her life forever. When she finds herself pregnant, and then has twins, she is forced to give her children away. At that point she vows never to trust another man again. As the years pass, Ruby never forgets her babies, and as the family store turns into a retail empire, Ruby wants her children back. But secrets were whispered and bargains made, and if Ruby wants to stay alive she needs to forget the past, or the past will come back and kill her. Nameless is a gripping underworld thriller by bestselling author Jessie Keane. It is followed by the thrilling sequel, Lawless. Nameless is a gripping underworld thriller by bestselling author Jessie Keane. She never forgot, and she'll never forgive . . . In 1941, mixed race Ruby Darke is born into a family that seem to hate her, but why? While her two brothers dive into a life of gangland violence, Ruby has to work in their family store. As she blossoms into a beautiful young woman she crosses paths with aristocrat Cornelius Bray, a chance meeting that will change her life forever. When she finds herself pregnant, and then has twins, she is forced to give her children away. At that point she vows never to trust another man again. As the years pass, Ruby never forgets her babies, and as the family store turns into a retail empire, Ruby wants her children back. But secrets were whispered and bargains made, and if Ruby wants to stay alive she needs to forget the past, or the past will come back and kill her. Nameless is followed by the thrilling sequel, Lawless. Growing up in the war-torn backstreets of the East End, Ruby Darke, mixed-race and hated by her family, is determined not to become embroiled in a life of crime like her two brothers. After a disastrous affair with Cornelius Bray, a handsome peer of the realm with dubious underworld connections, Ruby gives birth to illegitimate twins who are taken from her at birth: Daisy, born white, is taken to be raised in luxury by Cornelius and his wife, but the son is dark-skinned like Ruby and is taken by Ruby's brother, Charlie, to be ? They took her children away, and she will fight to the end to get them back . . .