The Flame and the Frost (Fauna Trilogy Book Three)

Book excerpt: An enthralling story from the 100-million-copy bestselling Queen of Romance, first published in 1957 and now available in eBook for the first time. Readers of Gold for the Gay Masters and Bride of Doom will need no recommendation to The Flame and the Frost, which follows the fortunes of orphan, Charlotte Goff. After narrowly avoiding being run down by her coach, Charlotte is adopted by the noble widow Lady Chase. Taken into her home, Charlotte grows to become an educated and beautiful young woman who catches the eye of Lady Chase's handsome, but heartless son, Vivian. Seduced by him, Charlotte finds herself pregnant, and is forced into marriage with the rake by her benefactor. After years of misery and heartache, Charlotte meets MP Dominic Unwin, a man who's friendship makes her yearn for more... But is there more to him than she knows? This superb drama of Victorian society life tells an unforgettable tale of passion and deceit, love and misery, and the perils of finding a life of happiness...