Mistress of Willowvale

the long version

WE HAVE PARTS TO PLAY, YOU AND I--YOU MAY LOATHE MY EVERY FIBRE, BUT WE MUST APPEAR TO BE DEEPLY IN LOVE Once, Leonie believed that her marriage to the handsome Christopher, Lord Aynsworth, would be her every dream come true. But the shivers of anticipation with which she had once awaited her wedding night turned to dread at the mere thought of the man now addressing her as her husband. Everything was all so terribly wrong between them. Leonie had dreamed of nothing but Kit and their life together, even when the war had taken him from her, and when she had suffered such terrible disgrace . . . she had still dared to dream that one day they would be together. Then they were married, but his love for her was dead--replaced by a cold, hard pride she could not melt. So much had happened they could not change, or forgive. . . until, in spite of themselves, they began to fall in love all over again. (This is something of a prequel to The Golden Chronicles series and The Tales of the Jewelled Men series, coming before the other prequel, *The Wagered Widow*.)