Holy Poison

Now including the Final Confession of Lord Richard Summerville
Meet the ordinary people, who lived through the reign of Bloody Mary

The Judas Pledge Lord Richard Summerville thinks Bethany will make him a good wife. He wants someone who will agree to follow his Catholic faith and give him an heir. She is willing to set aside her own beliefs for what he offers, but she has no idea how hard it will be to support her Catholic husband when Mary becomes Queen and her family are persecuted.

The Flawed Mistress Lady Rachel Stewart is Richard’s mistress, a woman who turns heads with her beauty. But following horrific childhood abuse, her beauty has always been a burden and her poverty leaves her at the mercy of unscrupulous men. Richard is different; he befriends her, gives her a life of comfort. This is the real story of Rachel and her role in the lives of Richard and Bethany.

The Viscount's Birthright When Robert's estranged father dies, he looks forward to inheriting his estate and marrying Camilla. His plans are thwarted when he learns that his father has willed his estate to him only if he marries his ward, Antonia. Neither one of them wants to be homeless and penniless, and they decide to work through their differences, but their blossoming love is ruined when Antonia becomes ill and suspects Robert of poisoning her, so as to have his wealth as well as Camilla.

Betrayal Adrian Kennington is content to marry Frances, who has been raised with him to one day be his bride. His plans are shattered when his brother confesses that he and Frances are in love and wish to marry. Adrian helps them to elope to the Americas and sets out to find experience on the streets of London, where he meets Marianne. She is the daughter of a tavern keeper who is selling her virginity to the highest bidder. It is Adrian who sees her first and takes her away. He rents rooms where she can live as his mistress but he is an earl and cannot marry Marianne, a fact he neglects to mention. A match is arranged with Elizabeth, who comes with her own past. Her former betrothed, Elliot Sinclair, betrayed his entire Protestant family to the Catholic authorities and they are all arrested and executed. She is always afraid that, while Mary reigns, another such event will mar her life. When the Queen commands Adrian to help hunt down Protestants, he has little choice if he does not want to put himself and his family in danger.

The Heretics Julia is Bethany's elder sister, a maiden married for a minor title in return for her generous dowry. But Sir Geoffrey Winterton's preference is not for women and, in her unhappiness, Julia turns to Richard for comfort. Before she can tell him their afternoon of passion has born fruit, he proposes marriage to her sister and Julia must escape. She meets Charles Carlisle, a farmer, with whom she falls in love and together they help hundreds of Protestants to escape to France. They are happy together, despite the reduction in lifestyle, until the night Julia is discovered and arrested for heresy and treason.

Consequences Mary is dead and the Protestant population of England look forward to the reign of Elizabeth. Richard must decide if he still has a future with the wife who betrayed him but who he still loves. They vow to put the past behind them and start again, but it is harder than it seems when that past rears up to hurt those children.

The Final Confession of Lord Richard Summerville The confession he wrote just before his death.