Orphaned at an early age and raised by unfeeling cousins,
Fleur Hamilton's choices are limited when she murders her
cousin's associate. She realizes no one will believe her
tale of attempted rape by her cousin, Lord Brocklehurst,
and the subsequent fight that left his associate dead.
Fleeing to London, Fleur looks for work, but with no
references or experience, no offers occur. Finally, left
with choosing slow death by starvation or selling herself,
Fleur decides on survival and stands outside a fashionable
theatre.
Adam Kent, the Duke of Ridgeway, has scars that cover one
side of his face and run deep within him. Declared dead at
the Battle of Waterloo, he miraculously survived and
returned home, only to discover that his cousin replaced
him at his estate and took the love of his life -- his wife
Sybil. With a young child, Adam and Sybil struggle in their
unhappy marriage. Tired of the stares at his disfigurement
and the rejection by his wife, Adam strays for the first
time with a Drury street whore, only to be haunted later by
her thin body, cracked lips and the desperation in her
eyes. Trying to relieve his guilt, Adam offers Fleur a
position as governess to his young daughter.
Adam and Fleur desperately struggle to overcome their past.
Friendship slowly grows and heals their dreadful sorrow,
but honor demands that they cannot commit to the all-
consuming love between them. Only a miracle can bring these
two people together.
First released in 1991, THE SECRET PEARL is one of Mary
Balogh's classic Regency romances. Readers can rejoice
because it's been reissued with no changes. New readers of
Ms. Balogh's work are in for a rare treat in this
heartwarming love story, while past readers can again savor
this touching tale.
To the woman known simply as Fleur, the well-dressed
gentleman with the mesmerizing eyes is an unlikely savior.
Forced to barter her body for survival, she takes the
stranger to her bed, never expecting to see him again. Until
she is offered a position as governess to a young girl...
and is stunned to discover that her midnight lover is a
powerful nobleman. As two wary hearts ignite, one question
remains: will she be his mistress or wife?
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