Cast Adrift

Married in November, 1812, Caroline Stanhope finds herself a naval widow within six months. Her father dead, her mother vanished, her only family is that of her late husband Geoffrey. Geoffrey’s father, the Earl of Prescott, suffers from intermittent madness. He is determined to keep Caroline from inheriting his son’s money. He is similarly intent on keeping Caroline’s unborn son from inheriting the family name, although he seems to have little use for the family itself.

The Earl has forced son James to renounce his right to the peerage to keep his homosexuality a secret. He has forced his sister Courtney has flee to America in order to preserve the life of her Scottish husband. Only Geoffrey’s brother William still enjoys his father’s favor. And he is stationed far away in North America, on a ship of his own.

Viciously assaulted by an attorney to whom she gave her trust, Caroline flees to London, only to find herself under a different kind of assault -- from the gossip and cruelty of the city’s elite, a group that has no intention of admitting a young, attractive newcomer to its ranks. William sails to her rescue, but a storm at sea dismasts his ship and leaves her at the mercy of a powerful French frigate. In desperation, he asks Caroline to pull off a daring masquerade to give him time to prepare a surprise attack. And even if it succeeds, what then? William must return to America for the invasion of Washington and the Earl’s men are hot on Caroline’s trail.

Warnings: This title contains graphic language and sex.