In 1715, Lady Blythe Hedley's father is declared an enemy of the British crown because of his Jacobite sympathies, forcing her to flee her home in northern England. Secreted to the tower of Wedderburn Castle in Scotland, Lady Blythe awaits who will ultimately be crowned king. But in a house with seven sons and numerous servants, her presence soon becomes known. No sooner has Everard Hume lost his father, Lord Wedderburn, than Lady Hedley arrives with the clothes on her back and her mistress in tow. He has his own problems--a volatile brother with dangerous political leanings, an estate to manage, and a very young brother in need of comfort and direction in the wake of losing his father. It would be best for everyone if he could send this misfit heiress on her way as soon as possible. Drawn into a whirlwind of intrigue, shifting alliances, and ambitions, Lady Blythe must be careful whom she trusts. Her fortune, her future, and her very life are at stake. Those who appear to be adversaries may turn out to be allies--and those who pretend friendship may be enemies.

Years before, he was anointed future king of Israel. Now if the sitting king learns of his secret, it will mean death for David and everyone in his family. David's secret destiny becomes more complicated when he falls in love with King Saul's daughter, Michal. He will do whatever it takes to secure her heart, provided she doesn't find out that David is the rumored rival to her father's throne. Now that Michal is of age, the Queen determines her daughter must be married as soon as possible. Michal resigns herself to a pre-arranged marriage with a man she does not love. Then by fate or God's providence she meets the handsome, young lyre player standing outside her father's chambers. One lives in a palace; the other sleeps under the stars. Though they come from vastly different worlds, Michal and David are drawn together. When King Saul uncovers David's secret and vows to kill him, Michal is torn between her love for her father and feelings for David. Two kings, two men she deeply loves but for different reasons -- one heart broken in two.

When Alyce Bradley agrees to an arranged marriage with privateer, Thomas Granville, she expects nothing more than courtesy and respect. Instead, as England braces for invasion by Spain's great armada, Alyce confronts closer dangers from both her own and Thomas's past, threats that could not only destroy her hope of love and happiness but her life

Maria Edgeworth (1767-1849) was an Anglo-Irish novelist. She was born at Black Bourton, Oxfordshire, the second child of Richard Lovell Edgeworth, a well-known author and inventor. On her father s second marriage in 1773, she went with him to Ireland, where she eventually was to settle on his estate, Edgeworthstown, in County Longford. She acted as manager of her father s estate, later drawing on this experience for her novels about the Irish. Maria s first published work was Letters for Literary Ladies in 1795, followed in 1796 by her first children s book, The Parent s Assistant; or, Stories for Children, and in 1800 by her first novel Castle Rackrent. Mr. Edgeworth encouraged his daughter s career, and has been criticized for his insistence on approving and editing her work. After her father s death in 1817 she edited his memoirs, and extended them with her biographical comments. She was an active writer to the last, and worked strenuously for the relief of the famine-stricken Irish peasants during the Irish Potato Famine (1845-1849).